formZ 4.0: 3D Modeling, Rendering, and Animation

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




very useful for product design, April 13, 2004
By (USA)
Even though I did not follow the books step by step classroom exercises, but used it as a reference on "how to" questions for my own projects, this book was essential for me in the creation of several designs at a very satisfying level. The explanations are well written and logical. Still at a beginners level, I was surprised at how much I had learned over the course of 2 weeks focussing on form Z (for at least several hours per day). Render Zone is also well covered in the book and it allowed me to create great and surprisingly realistic looking renderings that I was able to use for client presentations.

Clearly written from an architectural standpoint, the only thing the book lacks is addressing some of the specific needs of a product / industrial designer: adjusting the environment to working on a smaller scale, rendering surfaces and materials and lighting set up for a "product shot".

All in all, this book is certainly worth the money and will be my first choice as a guide to improve my 3D skills.



Very helpful, December 17, 2003
By Jason Fuchs
I had to learn formZ for my profession and I've gone to great lengths to do so. I had already taken two courses from different instructors and I was still feeling very unstable and was about to start a new job where I really needed the skills. Stressed-out and feeling at a loss, I did a search on the web and found this book for the new 4.0. While I already had a great understanding of the program, this book showed me so many ways to do things I had not yet been taught and I was able to do it on my own. The information is clearly laid out and easy to understand. Icons let you reference exactly where to go but the best part was the tutorials. I have not been able to find in any class or supporting material that came with the software, tutorials that let you practice. This was the most helpful as it's never enough to just know what everything does. You need to implement the info. This book saved my life (and probably my career!!)