I have a confession to make. I love animated movies. I think Toy Story 2 is one of the best films I've seen in the past ten years, and unlike some folks that encompasses quite a number of movies. Many people dismiss such films as kiddie fare, much as they dismiss comic books in a similar fashion. But just like comic books can be so much more than just picture books for "emerging readers," animation allows for a breathtaking array of storytelling. From Japanese films like Spirited Away to the lingering legacy of Walt Disney and the developing magical touch of Pixar, animation knows no boundaries save those of your imagination.

Over the course of the past twenty or so years, traditional "cell" animation (i.e., hand-drawn animation) has slowly given way to computer generated fare (or "CGI"). The transcendence of CGI and 3D animation is illustrated by the recent decision by Disney to shut down its traditional animation arm and focus solely upon CGI production from now on. And certainly you see the success of 3D animation in such wildly successful films as Shrek, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and more. Like many people, I'd love to know more about 3D animation: how it works, and how to do it.

That's where Peter Ratner's Mastering 3D Animation comes in. And let's be blunt about it: Ratner's book carefully illustrates how absolutely, fundamentally difficult it is to create quality animation. It is a common misconception that because it is done on the computer, 3D animation is somehow "easier" than its traditional counterpart (this misconception arises in many areas associated with the computer: people fail to recognize that the computer is just a tool that must be painstakingly operated by somebody). As Ratner writes in his foreword:

Today, in its infancy, 3D modeling and animation is one of the least understood disciplines. Due to the complexity of the software, most people are not motivated to learn about computer animation. Aside from overcoming the technical difficulties, there are many other skills animators have to learn. Some of these are drawing, painting, modeling in three dimensions, lighting, texturing, cinematography, sound syncing, and animating. One would be hard pressed to find any other artistic field that requires such a broad range of creativity, knowledge, and technical skills.

Ratner is a professor of 3D computer animation in the School of Art and Art History at James Madison University. Much of the work in this book relates to materials or projects he has used in his classes on computer animation. The first chapter is on the fundamentals of 3D modeling, and the painstaking reality of 3D animation is reflected in the first tutorial, which demonstrates how to model "a simple cartoon character" using subdivision modeling. One hundred and sixty three steps later, you may (you hope) have a figure that approximates that of the one in the book, which somewhat resembles a fatter version of Wallace (of Wallace and Gromit fame). Another tutorial in the chapter guides you through some 200 steps to create a human head (this after Ratner says the lesson "shows how simple it is to create a human head" with subdivision modeling).