The video game industry is hot! The biggest independent game maker, Electronic Arts, now brings in more than $2 billion in revenue per year and has been added to the Standard & Poor's 500 index. Sony, a major record label and movie producer, got nearly 600f its profits last year from PlayStation 2 hardware and software. Universities such as University of California at Irvine, MIT, and Georgia Tech offer game-development courses, and video game institutes such as Full Sail and DigiPen are popping up. But how can one explore this burgeoning field without spending thousands on software and schooling? That's where 3D Game Animation For Dummies comes in.

This book by 3D guru Kelly Murdock covers everything curious readers want to know about the amazing world of 3D game animation—storyboarding, creating scenery, working with 3D coordinates, keyframing, NURBS modeling, lighting, rigging, skinning, particle effects, and more! A CD-ROM includes Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE) software and allows readers to model, animate, and render their 3D masterpieces. Tutorial files, 3D models, and bonus plug-ins are also included.

Part I Creating 3D Content for Games
Part II Creating Interfaces, Modeling Scenery, and Texturing Backgrounds
Part III Designing, Modeling, and Animating Game Characters
Part IV Animating Game Cut Scenes
Part V The Part of Tens
Appendix A Using Game Engine Tools
Appendix B Glossary of Animation Terms
APPendix C Directory of Animation Schools