Introducing Character Animation with Blender 2nd Edition is out

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to let people know that at long, long last, Introducing Character Animation with Blender 2nd Editionis available! Of course, this edition is up to date for Blender 2.5. It covers a lot of new things, including the awesome Rigify add-on, mesh modifiers, working with the Dope Sheet, libraries and proxies, and much more.

The basic content follows the same overall format as the previous edition, so people should be aware that this book also covers character modeling, texturing, and rigging rather than being focused narrowly on only animation as the title implies.

I hope people like it!

Tony

looks awesome! cover looks very impressive. That means I want it!

The cover images are from the Blender Foundation’s Open Movies Sintel and Big Buck Bunny and a gallery image by Julia Korbut. There are several chapters that deal with the open movies, including a chapter of interviews with the creators of Sintel. Most of the training material in the book revolves around a moderately simple superhero character (readers of the first edition will remember the Captain Blender character, but the model has been re-worked and improved).

How deep does the book go into actual character animation?

I didn’t get the first one, so i don’t know :frowning:

It covers pretty much all aspects of how to do basic object animation and character animation with Blender, i.e., working with F-Curves, key frames, drivers, blend shapes, armatures, the dope sheet, NLA, etc. It covers simple jump, walk, and run cycles, combining animations with the NLA, lip sync, facial expressions, interacting with props, etc.

It does not go deeply into the art of animation itself. Things like expressing weight, emotion, and so forth. There’s a little bit on this, but not much. These are things that are independent of the software or even the medium you’re animating with. For those things, you should look at The Animator’s Survival Kit or something similar.

Any plans for a PDF version. I bought Studio Projects book (great book) pdf version thinking I would be able to read it on my HTC phone.
Not possible due to the DRM that means you can only veiw it in certain software but not Adobe Reader. Not complaining about that as I should have read the small print.
I will buy the paperback version anyway but I would also pay for the pdf as well if it used protection that allowed it to be opened in Adobe Reader on my phone.

There is a kindle edition on amazon so if your HTC is an android phone you’re sorted, though you’re paying a significant premium for it.

Any plans for a PDF version. I bought Studio Projects book (great book) pdf version thinking I would be able to read it on my HTC phone.

I’m afraid I don’t really know much about the electronic editions that will be made available. Aside from the Kindle edition, I have no idea what the publisher’s plans are with that.

I’m glad you liked Studio Projects though!

Just my 2 cents: I bought the 1st edition several years ago and found it VERY helpful. I plan on buying this 2nd edition now that 2.57 is out.

Thanks for the replies to my question.
I’m on the windows 6.5 HTC HD2. Like the idea of the kindle because I love reading but not too happy with the pricing compared to other non DRM pdf ebooks.
I ordered the paperback version later that day on Amazon UK. They are still showing it as not available yet so I was able to get quite a pre-order reduction, They have since increased the pre-order price so I got in just in time.
Bugman_2000, I sincerely hope that doesn’t come out of the Author royalties.:o

I have the first edition as well, time to upgrade! You say it goes into modeling, rendering, etc which is kind of pointless to me as I just want a rigging book! hehe But, Tony, I have a question, how in depth does it go into rigging, or does it just go into rigify?

What percent is new 2.5+ content? Thank gawd Cpt. B has been revisited. The original gave me night shivers.