This guide to Maya 4.5 has been written by Maya beta testers and experienced trainers. It includes workflow and best practices for every user of this 3D graphics programme.

With the powerful 3D modeling program Maya 5, users are limited only by their own imagination. In these pages, veteran animator Jim Lammers (who brought life to the Sony/Tristar film "Starship Troopers") takes readers from a review of 3D fundamentals to full-blown Maya 5 content creation. A companion CD includes video-captured movies that walk readers through every tutorial in the book.

Expand your animation toolkit and remain competitive in the industry with this leading resource for 2D and 3D character animation techniques. Apply the industry's best practices to your own workflows and develop 2D, 3D and hybrid characters with ease. With side by side comparisons of 2D and 3D character design, improve your character animation and master traditional principles and processes including weight and balance, timing and walks. Develop characters inspired by humans, birds, fish, snakes and four legged animals. Breathe life into your character and develop a characters personality with chapters on acting, voice-synching and facial expressions. Expertly integrate core animation techniques with your software of choice featuring step-by-step tutorials, highlighting 3ds Max, Maya and Blender workflows. Adapt the tips, tricks and techniques for unique projects like character design for rotoscoping and motion capture. Advance beyond the fundamentals of 2D and 3D character animation with the companion website which includes short demonstration movies, 2D and 3D exercises and fully rigged character models.

Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Paramedics provides students with the insight and understanding of pharmacological essentials needed to respond effectively to the patients' needs. This textbook will help students improve, expand, and enhance their expertise and the overall health and wellbeing of their patients, while boosting their self-confidence as paramedics in the process. This textbook integrates the extensive knowledge of pharmacology into a workable and accessible plan of care that will help to improve patient care. The book also includes: Thorough introductions to pharmacology and how to use pharmaceutical, and prescribing reference guides Comprehensive explorations of the legal and ethical issues of pharmacology within paramedicine and the role of the paramedic in medicines management Practical discussions of pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, drug formulations, and adverse drug reactions In-depth examinations of a wide variety of medicines, including analgesics, antibacterials, and medications used in the cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems Written for students of paramedicine, Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Paramedics would also prove an indispensable resource for practicing paramedics seeking a practical, one-stop reference on a challenging subject.

Computer-aided design (CAD) is the dominant design and drawing tool used in architecture, and all students need to acquire basic skills in using it. This book explains the key CAD skills required to create plans, 3D models and perspectives. Detailed text and hundreds of screengrabs and visuals are used to demonstrate the various techniques and processes. 2D skills are shown using AutoCAD, SketchUp and Vectorworks, while 3D modelling and presentation techniques also include 3ds Max, Maya, Form·Z and Photoshop. The reader will learn how to simplify the software interface and tools in order to focus on the most common and useful tasks. This is an invaluable guide for all students of architecture.

David Gould's acclaimed first book, Complete Maya Programming: An Extensive Guide to MEL and the C++ API, provides artists and programmers with a deep understanding of the way Maya works and how it can be enhanced and customized through programming. In his new book David offers a gentle, intuitive introduction to the core ideas of computer graphics. Each concept is explained progressively and is fully implemented in both MEL and C++ so that an artist or programmer can use the source code directly in their own programs. Geometry and modeling are covered in detail with progressively more complex examples demonstrating all of Maya's possible programming features. David Gould's first volume is widely regarded as the most authoritative reference on Maya programming. Volume II continues this tradition and provides an unmatched guide for the artist and programmer tackling complex tasks. - Covers a spectrum of topics in computer graphics including points and vectors, rotations, transformations, curves and surfaces (polygonal, NURBS, subdivision), and modeling - Offers insights to Maya's inner workings so that an artist or programmer can design and develop customized tools and solutions - Discusses problem solving with MEL (Maya's scripting language) and the more powerful and versatile C++ API, with plenty of code examples for each