Quality rigging and animation preparation is vital for creating characters that can truly act and make an audience believe they are live, emotive beings. LightWave 3D [8] Cartoon Character Creation - Volume 2: Rigging & Animation includes both general theory and comprehensive tutorials for every aspect of rigging and animating 3D characters. Learn how, why, and when to use the most efficient techniques so you can have fun animating your own fantastic 3D characters.

• Learn all about rigging characters, including weight mapping, bone creation, IK, and deformations.
• Discover advanced rigging techniques, including expressions, FK/IK blending, quadruped rigging, and more.
• Find out how to use the animation controls and animate using inverse kinematics.
• Explore the intricacies of facial animation, including morphs, facial expressions, lip sync, and advanced morph controls.
• Learn how to use dynamics for secondary body motion and clothing.

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Character design, modeling, and texturing are the fundamental building blocks of character animation. LightWave 3D [8] Cartoon Character Creation Volume 1: Modeling & Texturing includes both general theory and comprehensive tutorials for every aspect of modeling and texturing 3D characters. Learn how, why, and when to use the most efficient techniques so you can have fun creating your own fantastic 3D characters.

• Find out how to configure LightWave 3D for character creation, and learn the necessary steps of the character concept, design, and planning stages.
• Discover multiple methods for modeling characters and clothing using subdivision patches.
• Understand the techniques for creating complex UV mapping.
• Learn about surface attributes and surfacing characters.
• Enhance the appearance of your characters through the use of gradients and procedural textures.
• Explore a variety of techniques for creating image maps and applying them to your characters.

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LightWave 3D is one of the most popular 3D packages on the market today, offering the most complete set of tools, the best-looking and fastest out-of-the-box renderer, and one of the most powerful IK engines available. Professional director and animator Timothy Albee updates the best-selling LightWave 3D 7 Character Animation with discussions of advanced animation tools, facial animation, and IK Booster. In addition, he details how to use LightWave to build strong, dependable character setups; provides proven, hands-on tools for mastering the complex mechanics of animation; and covers the importance of storytelling and acting through animation.

• Explore the complete crafting of powerful and reliable character setups.
• Master subtle acting techniques that imbue scenes with life, drama, and power, such as anticipation, gesture, overlapping action, and silhouette.
• Discover how IK Booster adds more power, ease, and functionality to LightWave’s existing Inverse Kinematics system.
• Use LightWave’s Dope Sheet, Dope Track, and Motion Mixer tools to improve your output in creating animation.
• Find out how to use morph targets to sculpt your characters’ facial performances.

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Although it was first published more than thirty-five years ago, Up the Organization continues to top the lists of best business books by groups as diverse as the American Management Association, Strategy + Business (Booz Allen Hamilton), and The Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management. 1-800-CEO-READ ranks Townsend’s bestseller first among eighty books that “every manager must read.”

This commemorative edition offers a new generation the benefit of Robert Townsend’s timeless wisdom as well as reflections on his work and life by those who knew and worked with him. This groundbreaking book continues to remind us not to get mired in all those sacred organizational routines that stifle people and strangle both profits and profitability. He shows a way to humanize business and a way to have fun while making it all work better than it ever worked before.

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A concise introduction to the fundamentals of working with MySQL.

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system that is rapidly growing in popularity. Known for its speed, reliability, and ease of use, MySQL has proven itself to be particularly well suited both for beginners and for experienced developers to create sophisticated database-backed Web sites and applications.

MySQL Tutorial is a clear, concise introduction to the fundamental concepts and techniques of working with MySQL. It teaches the beginning MySQL user how to create and administer powerful databases that can be used at home, at work, and on the Web.

Whether you are a novice to databases or a technical professional looking to find out more about how MySQL works, MySQL Tutorial efficiently guides you through the information you need in order to get started with MySQL and quickly become proficient.

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The book provides complete coverage of fundamental IP networking in Java. It introduces the concepts behind TCP/IP and UDP and their intended use and purpose; gives complete coverage of Java networking APIs, includes an extended discussion of advanced server design, so that the various design principles and tradeoffs concerned are discussed and equips the reader with analytic queuing-theory tools to evaluate design alternatives; covers UDP multicasting, and covers multi-homed hosts, leading the reader to understand the extra programming steps and design considerations required in such environments.

After reading this book the reader will have an advanced knowledge of fundamental network design and programming concepts in the Java language, enabling them to design and implement distributed applications with advanced features and to predict their performance. Special emphasis is given to the scalable I/O facilities of Java 1.4 as well as complete treatments of multi-homing and UDP both unicast and multicast.

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Delve into the ultimate guide for professional photographers

Harness the power and flexibility of the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, version 1.1, with this expert guide. Professional photographers David Huss and David Plotkin show you how to work smarter, faster, and more creatively with their personal tips, tricks, and techniques that you can incorporate into your own workflow.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.1 is a powerful tool that you can integrate into your existing workflow to increase your productivity and improve the overall quality of your work. With this ultimate resource by your side, youll learn how to:

Organize, adjust, process, output, and share digital pictures like the top professionals
Personalize Lightroom with a custom Identity plate
Seamlessly transition between Lightroom and your favorite photo editor
Quickly view and compare multiple shots, pairing selections down to your best work
Correct images, adjust white balance, and fine-tune tone, balance, and exposure, crop and undoall without altering your originals!
Automate your workflow by applying image adjustments to multiple photos
Output proof and contact sheets
Develop, print and display your digital pictures for friends and clients, all the while saving valuable time
Create slide shows and web postings
And much more..

As you move from traditional separate image editing applications to this next generation software that was designed specifically for photographers, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.1 for the Professional Photographer unveils insider secrets and expert advice in this highly visual guide.

David Huss is a professional photographer and author who has written more than 30 books. His work has been translated into eight languages.
David Plotkin is a technical editor, photographer, and software writer who has written five books and numerous articles.

*The most comprehensive guide available on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, fully up-to-date with all of the new features of version 1.1
*Learn how to integrate this powerful software into your own workflow to maximize your productivity
*Written by two industry experts and packed with inspiring images to show you what you can achieve with Lightroom 1.1 and this handy guide by your side!

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Packed with more than 500 techniques, this book delivers what you need to knowon the spot. It is suited to editors of all experience levels, whether you are:

* Migrating from another NLE
* Upgrading to Final Cut Studio 2
* Seeking a handy reference to raise your proficiency

No need to wade through tomes of documentation. Final Cut Studio On the Spot presents immediate solutions in an accessible format. Step-by-step instruction by Apple Certified Pros shows you how to:

* Optimize system performance
* Create impressive titles with Generators, Motion, LiveType, and Photoshop
* Build Commercial-quality transitions
* Work quickly with buttons and keyboard shortcuts
* Color correct to save vital shots, and keep them broadcast legal
* Fix and mix for professional-quality audio
* Use the compositing tools of master editors
* Design and import graphics seamlessly
* Integrate with other applications including Motion, Soundtrack Pro and Color
* Troubleshoot and recover files
* Manage media and backup strategies
* Export and publish finished projects to tape, DVD, or the Web

Key Features:
* 400 time-saving workflow techniques
* Concise presentation is great for as a reference or a casual read
* Covers the major Studio toolsets for the editor

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"…with an easy style and great depth, Final Cut Pro Workflows: The Independent Studio Handbook is an enjoyable and important read. Osder and Carman offer a diverse background and extensive experience with Final Cut Pro."
Richard Harrington, President, RHED Pixel; author, Photoshop for Video, 3rd Edition, Final Cut Studio on the Spot, 3rd Edition

"Builds the theory and practice of using FCP around a variety of real-world project scenarios. Final Cut Pro Workflows combines an encyclopedia of detailed information on technical specs for shooting and editing with surprisingly readable stories about applying the tools to actual projects. Not just how to use a hammer…how to build the house."
— Blaine Graboyes, Media Architect, Worldwide Biggies, NYC

"…what makes Final Cut Pro Workflows: The Independent Studio Handbook a standout in a crowded field of books on the 'how to' of digital editing is the recognition that it's not just about learning the technology, but about how you think, organize, and manage a project to bring it to successful conclusion. Osder and Carman have written a unique book that brings together the critical marriage of technology and the real world circumstances that confront nascent Final Cut Pro editors. Indispensable!"
Nina Gilden Seavey, Emmy Award-winning Filmmaker; Director, The Documentary Center, George Washington University

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FileMaker Web Publishing offers an unparalleled development strategy for database managers, web designers, and programmers who are interested in getting the most out of FileMaker databases on the web. As the book covers both introductory web publishing and advanced database programming on the web, it is ideal for all skill levels.
Allyson Olm is the owner of FMWebschool, a professional FileMaker training and development firm, as well as a well-known trainer and developer. She is the lead developer behind the FXForge product line.

Stephen Knight is a FileMaker developer with 10 years of experience creating FileMaker solutions.

Michael Petrov is a programmer and developer responsible for creating a host of web publishing applications with FileMaker. He was the lead developer on the FMStudio web publishing solution from FMWebschool.

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Dr. Tom Shinders ISA Server 2006 Migration Guide provides a clear, concise, and thorough path to migrate from previous versions of ISA Server to ISA Server 2006. ISA Server 2006 is an incremental upgrade from ISA Server 2004, this book provides all of the tips and tricks to perform a successful migration, rather than rehash all of the features which were rolled out in ISA Server 2004. Also, learn to publish Exchange Server 2007 with ISA 2006 and to build a DMZ.

* Highlights key issues for migrating from previous versions of ISA Server to ISA Server 2006.
* Learn to Publish Exchange Server 2007 Using ISA Server 2006.
* Create a DMZ using ISA Server 2006.

* Dr. Tom Shinders previous two books on configuring ISA Server have sold more than 50,000 units worldwide.
* Dr. Tom Shinder is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for ISA Server and a member of the ISA Server beta testing team.
* This book will be the Featured Product on the Internets most popular ISA Server site www.isaserver.org.

About the Author
Thomas W. Shinder, MD is an MCSE and has been awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his work with ISA Server and is recognized in the firewall community as one of the foremost experts on ISA Server. His first two books on ISA Server have sold more than 50,000 units worldwide. Tom has consulted with major companies and organizations such as Microsoft Corp., Xerox, Lucent Technologies, FINA Oil, Hewlett-Packard, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Tom is the primary contributor on ISAserver.org (www.isaserver.org), where he answers hundreds of questions per week on the discussion boards and is the leading content contributor.

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Complete coverage of DirectX 3D graphics programming. Topics include understanding how DirectX interfaces with PC graphics devices and Windows, mastering 2D and 3D animation basics, harnessing Direct3D retained mode programming to create true 3D animations, manipulating frames, meshes, textures, mipmaps, lights and shadows, and more. Softcover.

From the Publisher
Inside this book you'll find complete coverage of DirectX 3D graphics programming:

Understand how DirectX interfaces with PC graphics devices and Windows

Master 2D and 3D animation basics, from modeling and rendering to matrices

Take control of blitting and blit-time transformations using DirectDraw

Take advantage of sprites, flips, and other DirectDraw animation techniques

Harness Direct3D retained programming to create true 3D animations

Manipulate frames, meshes, textures, mipmaps, lights, and shadows

Fine-tune motion with tweening, morphing, and other animation techniques

BONUS CD-ROM INCLUDES:
All C++ source code from the book
Microsoft DirectX 7 Software Development Kit

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You love it as the world’s most popular desktop Linux distribution, and now Ubuntu is available at a server near you. Embracing the very same features desktop users have grown to love, system administrators are rapidly adopting Ubuntu due to their ability to configure, deploy, and manage network services more effectively than ever.

Practical Ubuntu Server Administration guides you through all of the key configuration and administration tasks you’ll need to know. Whether you’re interested in adopting Ubuntu within a Fortune 500 environment or just want to use Ubuntu to manage your home network, this book is your go-to guide to using the distribution securely for a wide variety of network services. Topics include file, print, web, and FTP management, command-line tips and tricks, automated installation, configuration and deployment processes, and kernel management.

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Most books on operating systems deal with theory while ignoring practice. While the usual principles are covered in detail, the book describes a small, but real UNIX-like operating system: MINIX. The book demonstrates how it works while illustrating the principles behind it. Operating Systems: Design and Implementation Second Edition provides the MINIX source code. The relevant selections of the MINIX code are described in detail. When it first came out, MINIX caused something of a revolution. Within weeks, it had its own newsgroup on USENET, with 40,000 people. Most wanted to make MINIX bigger and fancier. Instead, Linux was created. That has become quite popular, very large, and complicated. MINIX, on the other hand, has remained small and suitable for instruction and example. The book has been revised to include updates in MINIX, which started out as a v 7 unix clone for a floppy-disk only 8088. It is now aimed at 386, 486, and pentium machines and is based on the international posix standard instead of on v7. There are now also versions of MINIX for the Macintosh and SPARC available. Professional programmers will find this book to be a valuable resource and reference book. (more…)

Written for the intermediate or advanced C++ programmer, renowned C++ expert Scott Meyers provides essential techniques for getting more out of the Standard Template Library in Effective STL, a tutorial for doing more with this powerful library.

STL is a hugely powerful feature of today's C++, but one with a well-earned reputation for complexity. The book is organized into 50 tips that explore different areas of the STL. Besides providing a list of dos and don'ts, Meyers presents a lot of background on what works and what doesn't with STL. Each tip is demonstrated with in-depth coding samples, many of which make use of two-color printing to highlight the most important lines of code. (Advanced developers will enjoy Meyers's in-depth explanations, while those who are in a hurry can skip ahead to the recommended tip itself.)

A good part of this book involves using containers, like vectors and maps, which are built into STL. (Besides the standard built-in containers, the author also highlights recent additions to STL like B-trees, which are available as extensions from other vendors.) You'll learn the best ways to allocate, add, change, and delete items inside containers, including associative containers like maps. You'll also learn to avoid common pitfalls, which can result in writing code that is slow or just plain wrong.

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On the Effective C++ CD, well-known C++ guru Scott Meyers combines the complete text of two of his books, Effective C++ and More Effective C++. Since the format of these two books provides a laundry list of tips for improving C++ code (Effective C++ contains 50 tips, while More Effective C++ adds 35 more), the CD-ROM format is a natural fit and a convenient way to read both titles. The CD-ROM format adds extra material, including several magazine articles and an annotated list of books for further reading. A handy full-text search engine lets you cross-reference material from both books. (Alternatively, you can just browse and read at your own pace.) The CD-ROM provides full control of image size and other options, making it useful for virtually any system, from desktop to laptop. (It requires only Netscape 4 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 browsers or later). While the author himself writes that he likes printed books, this CD-ROM makes good use of the greater flexibility of HTML. The additional material makes this electronic version even more comprehensive than the two previous titles combined. –Richard Dragan (more…)

A 2 Hour video lesson which teaches Actionscript 3 Flash Email Forms (with "Flash Cookies")

Watch Step by Step Instructions for Creating the Form shown, with these key featurs

- Locally Shared Objects (basically, Flash "cookies") are created to save the form for filling in later.
 or example, fill in some of the fields above. Press TAB or "Save Form", then close the window and come back. Upon return the information filled in previously will appear. This is a good feature for lengthy forms that might extend over multiple swfs.

- Restrict input text to specific characters. Also error messages can prompt users about typing restricted text. You can test this out in the Order # field above. If you type letters instead of numbers, an error prompt will show up.

- Prior to submitting the form, required fields can be tested for accurate info. For example, if you exclude the @ symbol or a period in the Email field, the form will prompt you to enter a valid email address

- Learn to use four common Components: Checkboxes, Label Buttons, Pulldown Menus, and Scrollbars. Also these components can work together, for example certain pulldown menu's will switch the checkbox to being selected.

- Scripted Motion Tweens can be added to make user messages slide in instead of appearing abruptly. You can test this out in the Order # field above. If you type letters instead of numbers, an error prompt will slide / fade in.

- Input and Dynamic Text boxes are taught extensively.
- The PHP file to send the form is also included and can be modified as well.

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The world of IT is always evolving, but in every area there are stable, core concepts that anyone just setting out needed to know last year, needs to know this year, and will still need to know next year. The purpose of the Foundations series is to identify these concepts and present them in a way that gives you the strongest possible starting point, no matter what your endeavor.

TCP/IP Foundations provides essential knowledge about the two protocols that form the basis for the Internet, as well as many other networks. What you learn here will benefit you in the short term, as you acquire and practice your skills, and in the long term, as you use them. Topics covered include:

• The origins of TCP/IP and the Internet
• The layers comprising the OSI and DoD models
• TCP/IP addressing
• Subnet masks
• Creating custom subnet masks
• Supernetting and Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
• Name resolution
• The Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic DNS
• Windows Internet Naming Services (WINS)
• The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• What to expect with IPv6

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Are you ready to reap the benefits of the bestselling contact relationship manager (CRM) software on the market today? Well, then—get into the act with ACT! 2008 and find out how the latest version of this exciting software enables you to set up a database that’s right for you so that you can focus on your business and career growth while also saving time and money.

With this fun and friendly guide in hand, you’ll discover how ACT! organizes customer information in one place, safely shares customer info between workgroups, and provides you with forecast tools, reports, and a contact database. Whether you’re new to the features of ACT! or you are familiar with the basics but have not yet put to use ACT!’s more advanced abilities, this nuts-and-bolts reference has been updated and revised to make sure that you are up to speed on the most efficient way to organize your customer relationships and activities.

Author and full-time ACT! Certified Consultant and ACT! Premier Trainer Karen Fredricks walks you through tasks such as:

• Setting up the contact database
• Adding multiple contacts to a group and adding contacts to a company
• Changing contact-level security access
• Scheduling activities
• Using the basic ACT! Reports
• Designing new reports
• Automating the backup process
• Integrating with Outlook
• Creating groups

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The Ultimate Resource for Professional Game Animators

Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real-time, video-game constraints. The Game Animator's Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional-level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real-world game animation techniques. It's the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

The enclosed CD features more than $3000 worth of exclusive content, including models, high-resolution textures, animations, concept art, and animation reference videos. It also includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition and project files so you can complete the hands-on tutorials.

The Game Animator's Guide to Maya gives you an insider's view of the animation business and teaches the skills necessary to animate everything from characters to vehicles to lip-synching audio. First, you'll get an introduction to the industry and typical game development pipelines, then learn rigging and animation basics before moving on to advanced techniques and the detailed tutorials. Inside, you'll find:
* Game Career Guide: Industry information, demo reel advice, job descriptions, game asset pipeline overview
* Animation Techniques: detailed explanation of animation terms, techniques, tools, concepts, and editors
* Rigging and Animation Setup: IK and FK, joint hierarchies, skeleton controls, constraints, selection handles, and more
* True Game Animation: real-world assignments that mimic the day-to-day jobs of professional game animators–walk cycles, run cycles, idle cycles, action sequences, lip-synching to audio, and more

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