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Principles of Nanophotonics (Optics and Optoelectronics)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:50:45 GMT

9781584889724 (1584889721), Taylor & Francis, 2008

The Theory and Applications of Nanophotonics Devices, Fabrication, and Systems

Coauthored by the developer of nanophotonics, Principles of Nanophotonics outlines physically intuitive concepts of the subject using a novel theoretical framework that differs from conventional wave optics. It probes far-reaching physical insights into the local electromagnetic interaction in the nanometric subsystem composed of electrons and photons.

After reviewing the background, history, and current status of research and development in nanophotonics and related technologies, the book presents a unique theoretical model to describe the interactions among nanometric material systems via optical near-fields. It also evaluates a nonadiabatic fabrication process using this theoretical model. The authors then explore nanophotonic devices and fabrication techniques and provide examples of qualitative innovation. The final chapter looks at how the assembly of nanophotonic devices produces a nanophotonic system.

Realize the Great Potential of Nanophotonics

Nanophotonics is on its way to revolutionizing various applications in devices, fabrications, and information and communication systems. Promoting further exploration in the field, this book helps you understand the theory behind nanophotonics and how it can be applied to devices and systems.

Modelling Stochastic Fibrous Materials with Mathematica® (Engineering Materials and Processes)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:19:34 GMT

9781848009905 (1848009909), Springer, 1970

Recent developments in the use of electrospun fibrous materials, for application as scaffolds for tissue engineering and in the application of carbon fibrous materials in fuel cells, has generated new interest in the dependence of the properties and structure of these materials on those of their constituent fibres. Modelling Stochastic Fibrous Materials with Mathematica® provides an overview of the structure of stochastic fibrous materials, and the use of Mathematica® to develop models describing their structure and performance.

Modelling Stochastic Fibrous Materials with Mathematica® provides an introduction to the techniques of statistical geometry and probabilistic modelling for non-mathematicians, and assumes no previous experience of Mathematica®. Using accessible notation and by providing examples of Mathematica® code, expressions are derived for the structural characteristics of stochastic fibrous materials providing insights into the ways these depend upon each other and the extent to which they can be modified in the laboratory or in a manufacturing environment.

Modelling Stochastic Fibrous Materials with Mathematica® is a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in industries concerned with electrospinning and the development of nonwoven fibrous architectures for use in composites, fuel cells and filtration applications.

About the Author

Bill Sampson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Materials at the University of Manchester, with more than 15 years experience modeling the structure and performance of stochastic fibrous materials. His interest in these materials developed at UMIST and the University of Toronto where he first used the computer mathematics software Mathematica to develop theories applying statistical geometry to the study of the pore size distribution in paper. Subsequent work has yielded theories describing the distributions of porosity and pore size in two- and three-dimensional networks, and the extent and configuration of fiber contacts in general classes of stochastic fibrous materials. These models have been applied to the study of the structures of non-woven textiles, electrospun polymer networks, and fibrous filters, and the influence of structure on their mechanical, optical and transport behaviors.

A Digital Signal Processing Primer: With Applications to Digital Audio and Computer Music

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:16:20 GMT

9780805316841 (0805316841), Prentice Hall, 1996

This new book by Ken Steigliz offers an informal and easy-to-understand introduction to digital signal processing, emphasizing digital audio and applications to computer music. A DSP Primer covers important topics such as phasors and tuning forks; the wave equation; sampling and quantizing; feedforward and feedback filters; comb and string filters; periodic sounds; transform methods; and filter design. Steiglitz uses an intuitive and qualitative approach to develop the mathematics critical to understanding DSP.

A DSP Primer is written for a broad audience including:

Students of DSP in Engineering and Computer Science courses.
Composers of computer music and those who work with digital sound.
WWW and Internet developers who work with multimedia.
General readers interested in science that want an introduction to DSP.

Features:

Offers a simple and uncluttered step-by-step approach to DSP for first-time users, especially beginners in computer music.
Designed to provide a working knowledge and understanding of frequency domain methods, including FFT and digital filtering.
Contains thought-provoking questions and suggested experiments that help the reader to understand and apply DSP theory and techniques.

About the Author

Ken Steiglitz is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at Princeton University where he is also Associate Chair. He received his M.E.E. and Eng.Sc.D. degrees from New York University. His current research interests inlude parallel computer architectures, economic simulations, and tools for computer music.

SQL Fundamentals (3rd Edition)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:16:12 GMT

9780137126026 (0137126026), Prentice Hall, 2008

SQL Fundamentals deserves praise because it documents the implementation of Structured Query Language (SQL) in Oracle databases and Access databases simultaneously. Readers find out how to do simple single-table queries, more complicated multitable queries, table creation, joins, unions, and calculations in both environments in a variety of circumstances. For those who've never worked with SQL before and plan to use one of the two covered platforms, this book will make a fine starting point, since it explains elementary SQL concepts too.

Here's the approach: Author John J. Patrick sets out a task--for example, writing a statement that yields a left outer join of two databases. Then he proceeds to accomplish the task in both Access and Oracle, presenting the platforms' respective SQL statements side by side. The differences between the two implementations of SQL are obvious, making it easy for someone familiar with one of the two environments to adapt to the other. The reader will also find the numbered and highlighted key passages, which include details on the facing page, very helpful.

Patrick, who based this book on a university course he teaches, knows the value of practical experience--he's loaded SQL Fundamentals with exercises in addition to the tasks he completes himself. He leaves most of these to the reader but provides solutions to some of the more interesting ones. Databases for the illustrations and exercises are included on the companion CD-ROM. --David Wall

X-Ray Diffraction: In Crystals, Imperfect Crystals, and Amorphous Bodies

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:56:05 GMT

9780486680118 (0486680118), Dover Publications, 1994

Superb study begins with fundamentals of x-ray diffraction theory using Fourier transforms, then applies general results to various atomic structures, amorphous bodies, crystals and imperfect crystals. Elementary laws of x-ray diffraction on crystals follow as special case. Highly useful for solid-state physicists, metallographers, chemists, and biologists. 154 illustrations. 1963 edition.

This book is a revised version of the last part of Thierie et Technique de la Radiocristallographie (Dunod, Paris, 1956). Since there now exist a number of excellent texts on X-ray crystallography in the English language, it was judged unnecessary to translate Parts I to IV, which deal with the experimental methods, with descriptions of apparatus, and with the elementary results of X-ray diffraction by crystals. We have added an introductory chapter so as to obtain a logical sequence, and recent developments were integrated throughout the text.

X-Ray Spectrometry: Recent Technological Advances

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:55:32 GMT

9780471486404 (047148640X), John Wiley & Sons, 2004

During the last decade, remarkable and often spectacular progress has been made in the methodological and instrumental aspects of x-ray spectrometry. This progress includes considerable technological improvements in the design and production of detectors as well as significant advances in x-ray optics, special configurations and computing approaches. All this has resulted in improved analytical performance and new applications, as well as in the perspective of a dramatic enhancement in the potential of x-ray based analysis techniques for the near future.

The book is divided into the following sections:

Introduction
X-Ray Sources
X-Ray Optics
X-Ray Detectors
Special Configurations
New Computerization Methods
New Applications

each covering the most advanced and high-tech aspects of the chemical analysis techniques based on x-rays. By its nature, such a book cannot cover the fundamental, well-known and more routine aspects of the technique; for this, reference is made to seve ral existing handbooks and textbooks. Each chapter is prepared by internationally recognized scientists, all of whom are eminent specialists in each of the sub-fields.

This book will assist all analytical chemists and other users of x-ray spectrometry to fully exploit the capabilities of this set of powerful analytical tools and to further expand applications in such fields as material and environmental sciences, medicine, toxicology, forensics, archaeometry and many others.

Encyclopedia of Data Warehousing and Mining, Second Edition

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:26:20 GMT

9781605660103 (1605660108), Information Science Publishing, 2008

The Encyclopedia of Data Warehousing and Mining provides a comprehensive, critical and descriptive examination of concepts, issues, trends, and challenges in this rapidly expanding field of data warehousing and mining (DWM). This encyclopedia consists of more than 350 contributors from 32 countries, 1,800 terms and definitions, and more than 4,400 references. This authoritative publication offers in-depth coverage of evolutions, theories, methodologies, functionalities, and applications of DWM in such interdisciplinary industries as healthcare informatics, artificial intelligence, financial modeling, and applied statistics, making it a single source of knowledge and latest discoveries in the field of DWM.

About the Author

John Wang, Ph.D., is a full professor in the Department of Information and Decision Sciences at Montclair State University (MSU), USA. Professor Wang has published 88 refereed papers and three books. He is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce and has been a guest editor and referee for Operations Research, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, and many other highly prestigious journals. His long-term research goal is on the synergy of Operations Research, Data Mining and Cybernetics.

When Least Is Best: How Mathematicians Discovered Many Clever Ways to Make Things as Small (or as Large) as Possible

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:19:33 GMT

9780691130521 (0691130523), Princeton Press, 2007

This book was terrific fun to read! I thought I would skim the chapters to write my review, but I was hooked by the preface, and read through the first 100 pages in one sitting... [Nahin shows] obvious delight and enjoyment--he is having fun and it is contagious. -- Bonnie Shulman MAA Online When Least is Best is clearly the result of immense effort... [Nahin] just seems to get better and better... The book is really a popular book of mathematics that touches on a broad range of problems associated with optimization. -- Dennis S. Bernstein IEEE Control Systems Magazine [When Least is Best is] a wonderful sourcebook from projects and is just plain fun to read. Choice This book is highly recommended. -- Clark Kimberling Mathematical Intelligener A valuable and stimulating introduction to problems that have fascinated mathematicians and physicists for millennia. -- D.R. Wilkins Contemporary Physics Nahin delivers maximal mathematical enjoyment with minimal perplexity and boredom... [He lets] general readers in on the thrill of riding high-school geometry and algebra to breakthrough insights... A refreshingly lucid and humanizing approach to mathematics. Booklist When Least Is Best is an illustrative historical walk through optimization problems as solved by mathematicians and scientists. Although many of us associate solving optimization with calculus, Paul J. Nahin shows here that many key problems were posed and solved long before calculus was developed. y Ann B. Freeman, Math Team Development Manager, The Mathworks Anyone with a modest command of calculus, a curiosity about how mathematics developed, and a pad of paper for calculations will enjoy Nahin's lively book. His enthusiasm is infectious, his writing style is active and fluid, and his examples always have a point... [H]e loves to tell stories, so even the familiar is enjoyably refreshed. -- Donald R. Sherbert SIAM Review

About the Author

Paul J. Nahin is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling "An Imaginary Tale: The Story of the Square Root of Minus One", "Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers", and "Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills" (all Princeton).

Fundamental Formulas of Physics, Vol. 1

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:19:18 GMT

9780486605951 (0486605957), Dover Publications, 1960

Volume 1 of a two-volume set. This important work covers basic mathematical formulas, statistics, nomograms, physical constants, classical mechanics, special theory of relativity, general theory of relativity, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, boundary value problems in mathematical physics, heat and thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetic theory of gases, viscosity, thermal conductions, electromagnetism, electronics and much more. 1955 ed.

Fundamental Formulas of Physics, Vol. 2

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:19:07 GMT

9780486605968 (0486605965), Dover Publications, 1960

Volume 2 of a two-volume set, this important work covers basic mathematical formulas, statistics, nomograms, physical constants, classical mechanics, special and general theories of relativity, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, boundary value problems in mathematical physics, heat and thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetic theory of gases, viscosity, and much more. 1955 edition.

Practical Problems in VLSI Physical Design Automation

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:18:38 GMT

9781402066269 (1402066260), Springer, 2008

Practical Problems in VLSI Physical Design Automation contains problems and solutions related to various well-known algorithms used in VLSI physical design automation. Dr. Lim believes that the best way to learn new algorithms is to walk through a small example by hand. This knowledge will greatly help understand, analyze, and improve some of the well-known algorithms. The author has designed and taught a graduate-level course on physical CAD for VLSI at Georgia Tech. Over the years he has written his homework with such a focus and has maintained typeset version of the solutions.

About the Author

Dr. Sung Kyu Lim received his PhD at UCLA in Los Angeles, USA and he majored in VLSI CAD. He recently received tenure at Georgia Tech.

Practical Forensic Microscopy: A Laboratory Manual

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:18:18 GMT

9780470031766 (047003176X), John Wiley & Sons, 2008

Practical Forensic Microscopy is a comprehensive laboratory manual providing the student with a practical overview and understanding of the various microscopes and microscopic techniques used within the field of forensic science.

Each laboratory experiment has been carefully designed to cover the variety of evidence disciplines with carefully set out objectives, explanations of each topic, procedures and worksheets to help students compile and analyse their results. Questions are also included at the end of each experiment to assess the knowledge and skills learned.

Clearly structured throughout, the emphasis is placed on the practical aspects of the analysis to enrich student understanding through hands-on experience. The experiments move carefully from the most basic microscopes and theory through to the more specialized applications with a focus placed on techniques currently used by forensic examiners. Impression evidence such as fingerprints, shoe tread patterns, tool marks and firearms will be analysed using simple stereomicroscopic techniques. Body fluids, drug and trace evidence such as paint, glass and hair are covered by a variety of microscopes and specialized microscopic techniques.

Practical lab-based manual that provides an accessible introduction to the various microscopes and microscopic techniques used within forensic science.

Emphasizes the practical aspects of microscopic analysis and techniques currently used by forensic examiners.

Includes recommended reading to prepare students before each experiment.

Includes background objectives and theory for each experiment and questions for writing laboratory reports.

An invaluable text for both students taking relevant courses in Forensic Microscopy and practitioners looking for an accessible introduction to the subject.

Open Source Systems Security Certification

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:18:07 GMT

9780387773230 (0387773231), Springer, 2008

Open Source Advances in Computer Applications book series provides timely technological and business information for:

Enabling Open Source Systems (OSS) to become an integral part of systems and devices produced by technology companies;

Inserting OSS in the critical path of complex network development and embedded products, including methodologies and tools for domain-specific OSS testing (lab code available), plus certification of security, dependability and safety properties for complex systems;

Ensuring integrated systems, including OSS, meet performance and security requirements as well as achieving the necessary certifications, according to the overall strategy of OSS usage on the part of the adopter.

The first attempt to create a standard for security certification of software dates back to 1985 with the creation of the TCSEC standard, commonly referred to as Orange Book (USDoD 1985) in the US. In the following years, the need of such a certification also emerged in other countries, leading to the creation of similar local security certification such as ITSEC in Europe (ITSEC 1991) and CTCPEC in Canada (CSE 1993). Since these certifications are totally independent from each other, the cost of certifying software at an international level was obviously high. This was one of the key factors that led to the creation of an international standard for software security certification.

Open Source Systems Security Certification discusses Security Certification Standards and establishes the need to certify open source tools and applications. This includes the international standard for the certification of IT products (software, firmware and hardware) Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) (CC 2006), a certification officially adopted by the governments of 18 nations, including United States, Germany, France, UK and Italy.

Without security certification, open source tools and applications are neither secure nor trustworthy. Open Source Systems Security Certification also addresses and analyzes the urgency of security certification for security-sensible markets, such as telecommunications, government and the military through provided case studies.

Open Source Systems Security Certification is designed for professionals, consultants and companies trying to implement an OSS-aware IT governance strategy, SMEs looking for a way to attract new markets traditionally held by proprietary products (e.g., network security and operation centers, Linux-based network switching systems) or to reduce costs. OSS development communities wishing to ensure their products become part of dynamically composed complex systems will find this volume invaluable. This book is also suitable for researchers and advanced-level students in computer science.

Foundation Form Creation with Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:17:55 GMT

9781430210030 (1430210036), Friends of Ed, 2008

Form creation is key to information processing and forms workflow is a key concept within Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite. Adobe LiveCycle Forms ES is a stand-alone product that also comes bundled with Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite. This is the first and only book about this new product specifically created for the design, creation, and processing of dynamically interactive forms. The book is written for users of all abilities, with introductory material for beginners and advanced techniques for more experienced users. It discusses both the best-practices of designing forms that work and the specifics of implementing them efficiently for data collection—the full life cycle of working with forms. Adobe LiveCycle is all about creating efficient workflows for processing information, and this book demonstrates the full power of the various workflows available for collecting data using one of the most ubiquitous tools available—forms.

Complete and thorough coverage of Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES
Workflows for the design, implementation, and processing of forms
Create and deploy interactive XML-based forms as HTML, PDF, or SWF
Integrate forms with third-party tools

In this book, you will learn:

Best practices for designing highly useable forms
Efficient use of tools for implementing forms design
Methodologies for data collection, both online and offline
Supporting technologies to expand the capabilities of Adobe LiveCycle ES

Who is this book for?

Designers and developers who work with Adobe LiveCycle ES or is involved in form design, creation, or data collection from forms.

About the Author

Cheridan has been involved in Web Development and Design since 1997 when she began working on a research team for the Y2K Millennium Bug. It was here she learnt about the internet and promptly fell in love with the medium. In her career she has been responsible for websites in the early 00\'s such as Weight Watchers Australia and Quicken.com.au, and worked as Creative Services Manager of Yahoo!7 in Australia on clients such as Toyota, 20th Century Fox and Ford. Currently she is working as a Senior Interactive Project Manager for an Australian advertising agency.

AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:16:46 GMT

9780470260173 (0470260173), John Wiley & Sons, 2008

Even Autodesk developers keep this book on hand!

Eight previous editions of fans ranging from novices to Autodesk insiders can't be wrong. This bestselling, comprehensive guide is your best, one-stop, go-to guide for everything you'll need to master AutoCAD. Whether you're an AutoCAD veteran exploring what's new or a novice seeking to start with the basics and progress to advanced programming, every feature is covered. Start drawing today with the one book you need to succeed with AutoCAD 2009.

Start drawing right away with the Quick Start project
Draw, view, and edit in 2D, then add text and dimensions
Reference other drawings and link data to objects
Build, view, and present complex 3D drawings
Customize commands, create shortcuts, and use scripts and macros
Program AutoCAD using AutoLISP and VBA

What's on the DVD?

Trial versions of AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009
Over 300 before-and-after drawings from working AutoCAD professionals
A selection of helpful add-on programs
The entire book in searchable PDF

System Requirements: Please see the DVD appendix for details and system requirements.

Modern Processor Design: Fundamentals of Superscalar Processors

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:10:45 GMT

9780070570641 (0070570647), McGraw-Hill, 2004

Modern Processor Design: Fundamentals of Superscalar Processors is an exciting new first edition from John Shen of Carnegie Mellon University And Intel and Mikko Lipasti of the University of Wisconsin--Madison. This book brings together the numerous microarchitectural techniques for harvesting more instruction-level parallelism (ILP) to achieve better processor performance that have been proposed and implemented in real machines. Other advanced techniques from recent research efforts that extend beyond ILP to exploit thread-level parallelism (TLP) are also compiled in this book. All of these techniques, as well as the foundational principles behind them, are organized and presented within a clear framework that allows for ease of comprehension.

This text is intended for an advanced computer architecture course or a course in superscalar processor design. It is written at a level appropriate for senior or first year graduate level students, and can be used by professionals as well.

Cybercrime: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:06:16 GMT

9781851096831 (1851096833), ABC Clio, 2004

Cybercrime: A Reference Handbook documents the history of computer hacking from free long distance phone calls to virtual espionage to worries of a supposed "cyber apocalypse," and provides accessible information everyone should know. How can a person's identity be stolen? What exactly is a "hacker"? How much damage can a 17 year old really do with a personal computer? This handbook addresses the major questions surrounding this highly controversial topic, and explores the reality of this intriguing world that sometimes seems like science fiction. An issue so new and evolving so quickly, there are few sources from which readers can get the information they need to inform themselves about and protect themselves from cybercrime. Written by experts in the field, this reference work contains original essays, descriptions of technical aspects, and numerous contributions from over 100 sources. Cybercrime uses fascinating case studies to analyze the beginning of cybercrime and the path it has followed to the present day, With biographical sketches of many influential hackers, the reader will better understand the development of the cybercriminal, and how many of these individuals went on to create some of the computer industry's most useful software. From cyberstalking to viruses, scholars and students alike will find the answers they need to understand these issues.

A Beginner's Guide to Gambas: Programming

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:01:51 GMT

9780741429483 (0741429489), Infinity Science Press, 2006

A Beginner's Guide to Gambas is the first definitive reference for the Linux-based Gambas programming language. Gambas ships with a graphical development environment based on the Basic programming language. It supports object-oriented programming and is similar to Microsoft's Visual Basic product. Gambas uses the Qt toolkit and supports other toolkits like GTK+. With Gambas, you can quickly design a user interface, access databases from MySQL, SQLite, and PostgreSQL, or remotely pilot KDE applications using the DCOP protocol. Rittinghouse masterfully describes the details of this new language with plenty of examples and illustrations that make it easy to understand.

About the Author

Dr. John Rittinghouse has a long and distinguished career in executive technical management. He is currently an independent consultant for large enterprise technology management and security issues. John is also an active member of the Federal Communications Commission Network Reliability and Interoperability Council VI Homeland Security Focus Group 1B, where he chairs a subcommittee on Security Architecture. He has often had sole responsibility for implementing major information technology installation and integration programs. John is quite accustomed to organizational rescue efforts in both software and hardware environments, usually with responsibility for worldwide IS/IT operations.

Exhibiting Photography: A Practical Guide to Choosing a Space, Displaying Your Work, and Everything in Between

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:44:22 GMT

9780240809397 (0240809394), Focal Press, 2008

This book originated in workshops taught initially at the University of Westminster and subsequently at Photofusion and the City Lit. The aim of the workshops was to empower students by opening up the processes and practices of exhibiting. What the workshops taught me was that, although students are increasingly working towards a career aim of exhibiting their work, they too frequently leave college with inadequate exhibition experience or the knowledge to be ready to start showing their work professionally.

My aim, then, has been to write a book that can be used as a guide to exhibiting so that any potential exhibitor can take some control of the process. Providing an overview of this kind inevitably means that the process can be oversimplifi ed; it suggests there is a right and wrong way to approach exhibiting, that all exhibiting photographers will follow the same route and that all photographs are part of a single discipline with standard methods of presentation. Of course none of this is true and I have attempted to include enough dispute and contradiction to make it clear that the photographers or artists have to make the choices that suit them, their work, and their showing circumstances.

I have used the terms photographer and artist fairly interchangeably here and I make no apology for it. Debate about the terms rumbles on and the use of one or other usually owes as much to educational background, personal preference, and the gallery context as to ideological
concerns.

Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:40:18 GMT

9780470292730 (0470292733), Sybex, 2008

If you already understand the basics of Maya, the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software, you’ll be ready to move on to the sophisticated topics in this updated edition of Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting. Detailed, easy-to-follow instructions will teach you the real-world production secrets that professional animators use to achieve amazing results. In the second edition, you will find extensive and updated coverage of the latest theories and trends in addition to an enclosed CD with exclusive content to help you sharpen your skills.

Turn the Spotlight on Your Creations with Tips from a Pro

Learn the secrets of professional animators and achieve amazing results with the detailed instruction you'll find in this new edition of Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting. Written by industry veteran Lee Lanier, whose texturing and lighting has been featured in such films as Mortal Kombat, Antz, and Shrek, this in-depth book focuses on advanced techniques used in real-world production environments.

You'll find extensive and updated coverage of custom shading networks, particle texturing, pelt mapping, Global Illumination, Final Gather, HDR lighting, mental ray shaders, normal mapping, and multipass rendering. You'll also explore the latest texturing and lighting theories and trends in the animation industry—information to help you improve your skills, no matter what software you use.

The enclosed CD features exclusive content, including textures, custom shading networks, movies, and scene files for chapter tutorials and many of the illustrations in the book. All included scene files are saved in the Maya 8.5 .ma format and have been tested with Maya 8.5 and Maya 2008. You'll also find a bonus chapter with advanced lessons.

About the Author

Lee Lanier is a professional animator and instructor who has created digital special effects for such films as Mortal Kombat. He served as a senior animator in the Modeling and Lighting departments on Antz and Shrek and has produced and directed the animated short films Millennium Bug, Mirror, Day Off The Dead, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and 13 Ways to Die at Home. He has taught at several schools, including the Academy of Art University, Art Institute of Las Vegas, and Westwood College Online. His work can be seen at beezlebugbit.com.