Advanced 3D Photorealism Techniques

"If it looks like a photograph, it's photorealistic--no more, no less." This definition is key, says photorealistic 3-D graphics guru Bill Fleming, who presents techniques for building spectacularly rich photorealistic environments in Advanced 3D Photorealism Techniques. This book is well-suited for 3-D gurus who want to move up to the next level in their craft.

Fleming introduces you to simple tricks for adding surface chaos (in the form of rust, oxidation, and corrosion) to otherwise flat images and shows you how to tackle surfacing challenges. For creating a "back alley" city street, for instance, you can add dirt and grime on a global scale and thereby avoid crashing your computer with large amounts of image files.

An example of the book's typical clarity lies in this list of Top 10 principles of creating photorealistic images:

1. Clutter and chaos
2. Personality and expectations
3. Believability
4. Surface texture
5. Specularity
6. Aging--dirt, dust, and rot
7. Flaws, tears, and cracks
8. Rounded edges
9. Object material depth
10. Radiosity

The companion CD-ROM contains support files, models, and image map modeling templates to accompany the tutorials. If you're looking to create really real photorealistic images, this is a recommended resource, in true Fleming fashion. --Brooke Gilbert

Topics covered: Natural and industrial environments, creating buildings with natural elements (adobe, bricks, and boards), and working with natural scenes (ponds, puddles, grass, ground cover, and rocks).