animation books

#1

I’m finding books relating to animation and modelling…and so far i’ve heard of two ani books from animation mentor,namely:is The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams and The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston…i don’t want to waste hard earned money so i need a good opinion.

What books would you recommend for animation basics?Cause i don’t want to be reading that thick autodesk maya ani book.

#2

well the animator’s survival kit it one of my most prized posessions

its BRILLIANT. as close to a full breakdown of the principles as you can get, but watching reels, reading other books and watching great tutorials (keith lango / jason ryan) are supplimentary things you should always do.

but its regarded as the best overall animation book available and i truly cannot argue with that.

EDIT:
also from what i hear of illusion of life (next on my to buy list) it is also an animation bible :slight_smile:

so yeah, the two recommendations seem to be clearly the two best overall books on the principles of animation. definitely get both if you can afford them and really absorb them in.

#3

Yeah you really can’t go wrong with Animation Survival Kit. It really is the best book out there. Illusion of Life is definitely a book worth having on the shelf and it’s a great read with heaps of cool stuff in it but if you’re after something to teach you purely about the principles and technique and you’re on a budget then Survival Kit all the way.

#4

Some example of Animation Books are :------

  1. Timing for Animation
  2. The Animator’s Survival Kit
#5

I like this book by Eric Goldberg:

http://www.amazon.com/Character-Animation-Crash-Course-Goldberg/dp/1879505975

This one and Animators Survival Kit should be a great start. They aren’t about 3D animation, just about animation principles.

#6

Good picks, I’m going to look into them.

So far as a newbie I picked up ‘Introducing Maya 2011’ by Dariush Derkhshani and its a pretty indepth guide to the new Maya, it showed me some pretty interesting tips and tricks.

#7

I recomend you this three books…

  • The Animator’s Survival Kit
  • The Ilusion of Life
  • How to cheat in maya (if you will use this software)
#8

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