The tutorials remind me of something people often say when moving furniture: "It isn't heavy, it's just bulky and difficult to carry." In other words, creating a human head may be "simple," but it isn't easy - and it takes a lot of time and attention to get it right. After all, step 200 is "if necessary, continue making small improvements to the head." Oh, and be careful about the ears already: Ratner says that ears are perhaps the "most demanding task" for any 3D artist, and that you can "quickly judge" an artist's modeling ability just by looking at his (or her) ears.

Subsequent chapters move through basic 3D modeling (with both a simple cartoon character and a more complex character as tutorials), animating with the "deformation" tools found in all 3D modeling applications, and basic 3D animation (such as lighting, character poses, using timelines, and the like). Chapter 5 features special effects, including fire, electrical effects, liquids, and more, while the second part of the book moves into advanced 3D modeling - most notably modeling the human figure, with entire sections on eyelashes and eyebrows, hair, and the like - as well as modeling a background (rooms, objects, and the like). There is also a substantial section devoted to character animation fundamentals and preparation for 3D animation (texture, transparency, and that sort of thing). It's all here, from NURBS and polygon modeling to deformation tools, from expressive facial animation to the twelve principals of animation, combined with in-depth exercises (none of which are software or platfrom specific) to encourage readers to work through the projects on their own.

The bottom line is that Ratner's book is a serious, heavyweight contender for those who are truly serious about not merely understanding what NURBS means (i.e., Non-Uniform, Rational B-Splines, which are flexible lines used by many 3D modeling programs to create smooth curves and surfaces) but want to truly digest the intricacies of 3D modeling and animation. The book comes with a CD-ROM filled with the files necessary to complete the tutorials. It isn't titled "a classroom in a book" but it could be, and ultimately it is designed to help guide you from novice animator to someone who could produce a professional, studio-quality 3D animation.

Unlike many books aimed at a particular product which typically focus on various features one at a time, Ratner's book takes a building-block approach, beginning with the notion of a "basic model" and then adding concepts and principles layer by layer. It is an excellent resource and really leaves only one question to be asked: why the female models are all young, anatomically correct, and naked, while the principal male model is an old man who gets to keep all his clothes on. On the other hand, perhaps that question needs no answer - and the book, nude models and all - nonetheless makes an excellent investment for those interested in 3D animation.