Stuart Mealing - Böcker

Design Research is an area that is both current and growing, but texts on the subjects are in short supply. This book is a response to the vitality of discussion within journals and at conferences, and it intends to place Design Research in its rightful place at the heart of studio-based education and practice.Offering a valuable context within which to understand the educational needs and aspirations of the designer, Becoming Designers is also a vital resource for students in this field, whose access to books on the subject is currently very limited.

Computers and Art provides insightful perspectives on the use of the computer as a tool for artists. The approaches taken vary from its historical, philosophical and practical implications to the use of computer technology in art practice. The contributors include an art critic, an educator, a practising artist and a researcher. Mealing looks at the potential for future developments in the field, looking at both the artistic and the computational aspects of the field.

This text looks at the uses of 3D computer modelling in product design, visualization and architecture, and introduces the basic theory and practice of the medium. Subjects range from co-ordinates to radiosity, from bump mapping to splines and from data compression to teleology. The work covers the underlying principles of different model-building methods, surface treatments and lighting methods, as well as material specific to the Macintosh: relevant hardware, file types, data compression, networking and expense. A large section considers in detail the software available, assessing the strengths, weaknesses and applications. Case studies test out different products on real projects and further chapters cover design methodology, principles and the future of modelling.

The use of three-dimensional modelling is developing rapidly in a number of important areas - product design, visualization and architecture for example. Designed to complement the existing reference books on Autodesk 3D Studio, this book primes the reader with an understanding of the fundamentals of 3D computer modelling, rendering and animation. As well as explaining the theory and practice of the medium, the authors first offer an overview of the 3D studio application and then work through a number of case studies illustrating its use. The future of the discipline is considered and a comprehensive glossary of the area is included.Heavily illustrated throughout, the book will prove equally useful to the novice and the established user. Topics dealt with include:The role of the designer and design methodologyDifferent versions of 3D Studio and different user techniquesThe fundamentals, from display to deformation, from raytracing to bump mapping and from keyframing to kinematics.