Building Interactive Worlds in 3D: Virtual Sets and Pre-visualization for Games, Film & the Web

In Building Interactive Worlds in 3D readers will find turnkey tutorials that detail all the steps required to build simulations and interactions, utilize virtual cameras, virtual actors (with self-determined behaviors), and real-time physics including gravity, collision, and topography. With the free software demos included, 3D artists and developers can learn to build a fully functioning prototype. The book is dynamic enough to give both those with a programming background as well as those who are just getting their feet wet challenging and engaging tutorials in virtual set design, using Virtools. Other software discussed is: Lightwave, and Maya. The book is constructed so that, depending on your project and design needs, you can read the text or interviews independently and/or use the book as reference for individual tutorials on a project-by-project basis. Each tutorial is followed by a short interview with a 3D graphics professional in order to provide insight and additional advice on particular interactive 3D techniques-from user, designer, artist, and producer perspectives.

* Create interactive, 3D sets - virtual buildings, terrains, as well as other virtual prototypes for games, film/video pre-visualization, and virtual reality design for the Web from sketch to fully-working prototype

* Interviews with experts in the field provide additional insight into each tutorial

* Dozens of tutorials on CD-ROM, and dozens more on author's website

User review
Review of 23 June 2007
The book is very well structured, it teaches how to implement Maya and Virtools, taking you through the creation of a character or a tree in Maya and configuring it later in Virtools. Also explains a number of behaviors and cameras, theory and practice. Im still hoping to test a few of the examples, such as the Nighthawk section, but so far it seems fairly good.

User review
Enriching virtual content: a very good reference
This book is a good reference for anyone interested in creating interactive installations, typically for museums, presentations, projects, digital artwork, and even games.

If you are completely new to Virtools and you are looking for a manual, then this may not be the appropriate book. However, if your goal is to produce rich experiences with a strong cinematographic feel, it's an ideal read. Gauthier often links virtual worlds to cinema, a natural connection; if you want to push your virtual content futher, some tricks of the 7th art trade are totally appropriate.

I'd recommend this to anyone willing to push the quality of an installation, or looking forward to adding lots of depth in a virtual experience.

User review
Disappointed and frustrated
I am a 3D savvy person and I have been using 3D applications such as 3D Studio Max & Maya for several years but I have TROUBLE following the tutorials in this book - WHY? The reason is simple: there are errors, errors, and errors everywhere in this book. Since it's almost impossible to find a Virtools book, this would be the only choice for people who want to get a book about Virtools. However I found this book is very disappointing.

There is no logical explanation of how building blocks work (building blocks are what the pre-written scripts in Virtools are called) but merely poor direction of how to click and drag building blocks and press play. Most of the information about Virtools in this book you will be able to find in the Help menu from the software itself. There are very few (if there is any) new ideas and they are confusing and I get lost even by following the `step by step` instruction. I was doubting myself not following the tutorials correctly so I passed the book to one of my friends who is a 3D guru - and he has trouble to get things work following the tutorials in this book as well. Again: errors!!!

I'm very disappointed and frustrated.

User review
Misleading title
This book contains demos solely for use with Virtools Dev 3.0. The book is specific to this software and doesn't contain much that would be of interest otherwise.

By the way, Virtools Dev used to cost $5,000. Unfortunately, they doubled the price to $10,000 this year, but from what I could find on Internet forums, there was no reason for the increase. The software wasn't vastly improved or anything.

And if you actually create a game using Virtools Dev, you have to pay them a percentage of you profit. There are other hidden charges too, such as add-ons, that you would need.

Therefore, I wasted my money on this book, but maybe this review will save yours.

User review
Not what I needed.
It's nearly impossible to find Virtools books out there. So I was pleased to find this title. However, it has not been particularly useful.

There are plenty of demo files on the disc but very little discussion of what is going on. What I was hoping for was detail on how building blocks were selected, why they are connected the way they are, how they interact, etc. Instead the demo files are completed with little comment in the book. The instructions that are there are more of the `Drag this there. Then drag this there. Now press play.` I find little insight in this method which is why I'd hoped for something more.

Many of the files on the CD are missing or not named the same as in the book. Some files that are to be downloaded from the Web were unavailable.

Also, there is quite a bit of content dedicated to creating your assets with Maya. That may be of interest to some, but I'm just in need of learning Virtools. Hence that material is of no assistance.

It is a dissapointment, but remains the only book available.