Visar resultat för..."Taylor Francis Inc"

Personality and performance are intricately linked, and personality has proven to have a direct influence on an individual's leadership ability and style, team performance, and overall organizational effectiveness. In Personality and the Fate of Organizations, author Robert Hogan offers a systematic account of the nature of personality, showing how to use personality to understand organizations and to understand, evaluate, select, deselect, and train people.This book brings insights from a leading industrial organizational psychologist who asserts that personality is real, and that it determines the careers of individuals and the fate of organizations. The author’s goal is to increase the reader’s ability to understand other people—how they are alike, how they are different, and why they do what they do. Armed with this understanding, readers will be able to pursue their personal, social, and organizational goals more efficiently.A practical reference, this text is extremely useful for MBA students and for all those studying organizational psychology and leadership.

Metaphysics: An Introduction, Second Edition combines comprehensive coverage of the core elements of metaphysics with contemporary and lively debates within the subject. It provides a rigorous and yet accessible overview of a rich array of topics, connecting the abstract nature of metaphysics with the real world. Topics covered include: basic logic for metaphysicsan introduction to ontologyabstract objectsmaterial objectscritiques of metaphysicsnatural and social kindsthe metaphysics of race and gendergrounding and fundamentalityfree willtimemodalitypersistencecausation.This outstanding book not only equips the reader with a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of metaphysics, but provides a valuable guide to contemporary metaphysics and metaphysicians.New for this second edition are updated sections on metaphysical indeterminacy; new sections on manipulation arguments and free will and neuroscience; and new chapters on the important topics of social ontology, fundamentality, and grounding.Additional features such as exercises, annotated further reading, a glossary, and a companion website https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9780815350491 have also been updated and will help students find their way around this subject and assist teachers in the classroom.

Year by year, law seems to penetrate ever larger realms of social, political, and economic life, generating both praise and blame. Nonet and Selznick's Law and Society in Transition explains in accessible language the primary forms of law as a social, political, and normative phenomenon. They illustrate with great clarity the fundamental difference between repressive law, riddled with raw conflict and the accommodation of special interests, and responsive law, the reasoned effort to realize an ideal of polity. To make jurisprudence relevant, legal, political, and social theory must be reintegrated. As a step in this direction, Nonet and Selznick attempt to recast jurisprudential issues in a social science perspective. They construct a valuable framework for analyzing and assessing the worth of alternative modes of legal ordering. The volume's most enduring contribution is the authors' typology-repressive, autonomous, and responsive law. This typology of law is original and especially useful because it incorporates both political and jurisprudential aspects of law and speaks directly to contemporary struggles over the proper place of law in democratic governance. In his new introduction, Robert A. Kagan recasts this classic text for the contemporary world. He sees a world of responsive law in which legal institutions-courts, regulatory agencies, alternative dispute resolution bodies, police departments-are periodically studied and redesigned to improve their ability to fulfill public expectations. Schools, business corporations, and governmental bureaucracies are more fully pervaded by legal values. Law and Society in Transition describes ways in which law changes and develops. It is an inspiring vision of a politically responsive form of governance, of special interest to those in sociology, law, philosophy, and politics.

Since its original publication in 1996, The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy has been the definitive guide for couple therapists, supervisors, and students wishing to practice emotionally focused therapy.This cutting-edge third edition addresses recent changes in the field of couple therapy, including updated research results relating to clinical interventions, expanded understandings of emotion regulation, adult attachment and neuroscience, and dynamic EFT applications for a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, sexual disorders, and PTSD. Chapters introduce micro-interventions for use in EFT couple sessions, as well as a systematic presentation of a macro set of interventions called the EFT Tango. Clinical examples are included throughout, bringing the in-session process of change alive, and two case chapters offer in-depth commentaries of Stage 1 and Stage 2 EFT sessions.Written by the leading authority on emotionally focused therapy, this third edition is an essential reference on all aspects of EFT and its uses for mental health professionals in the field of couple and marital therapy.

The Fundamentals of Digital Photography explores the guiding principles of great photography through efficient and effective technique. Easy-to-follow instructions teach you how to work with a digital workflow and develop a solid understanding of materials and processes. You will also find creative inspiration through the work of some of the world’s great historical photographers, and discover how the history of photography can feed into your own work. Themed projects, featuring stunning images from contemporary international practitioners, will help you focus your ideas to produce truly original photographs.The assignments at the end of each chapter help you to create a body of work that will expand your photographic portfolio. By shooting these carefully devised assignments, you will become a confident software user, and develop the all-important visual and conceptual skills essential to successful photography.

Introduction to Mathematical Proofs helps students develop the necessary skills to write clear, correct, and concise proofs.Unlike similar textbooks, this one begins with logic since it is the underlying language of mathematics and the basis of reasoned arguments. The text then discusses deductive mathematical systems and the systems of natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, and real numbers. It also covers elementary topics in set theory, explores various properties of relations and functions, and proves several theorems using induction. The final chapters introduce the concept of cardinalities of sets and the concepts and proofs of real analysis and group theory. In the appendix, the author includes some basic guidelines to follow when writing proofs.This new edition includes more than 125 new exercises in sections titled More Challenging Exercises. Also, numerous examples illustrate in detail how to write proofs and show how to solve problems. These examples can serve as models for students to emulate when solving exercises. Several biographical sketches and historical comments have been included to enrich and enliven the text. Written in a conversational style, yet maintaining the proper level of mathematical rigor, this accessible book teaches students to reason logically, read proofs critically, and write valid mathematical proofs. It prepares them to succeed in more advanced mathematics courses, such as abstract algebra and analysis.

From the splash of breaking waves to turbulent swirling smoke, the mathematical dynamics of fluids are varied and continue to be one of the most challenging aspects in animation. Fluid Engine Development demonstrates how to create a working fluid engine through the use of particles and grids, and even a combination of the two. Core algorithms are explained from a developer’s perspective in a practical, approachable way that will not overwhelm readers. The Code Repository offers further opportunity for growth and discussion with continuously changing content and source codes. This book helps to serve as the ultimate guide to navigating complex fluid animation and development. Explains how to create a fluid simulation engine from scratch Offers an approach that is code-oriented rather than math-oriented, allowing readers to learn how fluid dynamics works with code, with downloadable code available Explores various kinds of simulation techniques for fluids using particles and grids Discusses practical issues such as data structure design and optimizations Covers core numerical tools including linear system and level set solvers

"Game Feel" exposes "feel" as a hidden language in game design that no one has fully articulated yet. The language could be compared to the building blocks of music (time signatures, chord progressions, verse) - no matter the instruments, style or time period - these building blocks come into play. Feel and sensation are similar building blocks where game design is concerned. They create the meta-sensation of involvement with a game.The understanding of how game designers create feel, and affect feel are only partially understood by most in the field and tends to be overlooked as a method or course of study, yet a game's feel is central to a game's success. This book brings the subject of feel to light by consolidating existing theories into a cohesive book.The book covers topics like the role of sound, ancillary indicators, the importance of metaphor, how people perceive things, and a brief history of feel in games.The associated web site contains a playset with ready-made tools to design feel in games, six key components to creating virtual sensation. There's a play palette too, so the desiger can first experience the importance of that component by altering variables and feeling the results. The playset allows the reader to experience each of the sensations described in the book, and then allows them to apply them to their own projects. Creating game feel without having to program, essentially. The final version of the playset will have enough flexibility that the reader will be able to use it as a companion to the exercises in the book, working through each one to create the feel described.

The core of this book is a systematic treatment of the historic transformation of the West from monarchy to democracy. Revisionist in nature, it reaches the conclusion that monarchy is a lesser evil than democracy, but outlines deficiencies in both. Its methodology is axiomatic-deductive, allowing the writer to derive economic and sociological theorems, and then apply them to interpret historical events.A compelling chapter on time preference describes the progress of civilization as lowering time preferences as capital structure is built, and explains how the interaction between people can lower time all around, with interesting parallels to the Ricardian Law of Association. By focusing on this transformation, the author is able to interpret many historical phenomena, such as rising levels of crime, degeneration of standards of conduct and morality, and the growth of the mega-state. In underscoring the deficiencies of both monarchy and democracy, the author demonstrates how these systems are both inferior to a natural order based on private-property.Hoppe deconstructs the classical liberal belief in the possibility of limited government and calls for an alignment of conservatism and libertarianism as natural allies with common goals. He defends the proper role of the production of defense as undertaken by insurance companies on a free market, and describes the emergence of private law among competing insurers.Having established a natural order as superior on utilitarian grounds, the author goes on to assess the prospects for achieving a natural order. Informed by his analysis of the deficiencies of social democracy, and armed with the social theory of legitimation, he forsees secession as the likely future of the US and Europe, resulting in a multitude of region and city-states. This book complements the author's previous work defending the ethics of private property and natural order. Democracy - The God that Failed will be of interest to scholars and students of history, political economy, and political philosophy.

Presenting the newest approaches to the design and operation of steam turbines, this book also explores modern techniques for refurbishment of aging units. It covers recent engineering breakthroughs and new approaches to transient operating conditions, as well as improved information support for operational personnel. An authoritative guide for power plant engineers, operators, owners and designers on all of these crucial developments, this book fully describes and evaluates the most important new design and operational improvement opportunities for the full spectrum of today's steam turbines – from the newest and most advanced to the more common existing systems.

A great deal of attention has been devoted to risk research. Sociologists in general have limited themselves to varying recognitions of a society at risk and have traced out the paths to disaster. The detailed research has yet to be undertaken. In Risk, now available in paperback, Niklas Luhmann develops a theoretical program for such research. His premise is that the concept of risk projects essential aspects of our description of the future onto the present. Risk is conceived as the possibility of triggering unexpected, unlikely, and detrimental consequences by means of a decision attributable to a decision maker.

Written by a game developer and professor trained in architecture, An Architectural Approach to Level Design is one of the first books to integrate architectural and spatial design theory with the field of level design. It explores the principles of level design through the context and history of architecture. Now in its second edition, An Architectural Approach to Level Design presents architectural techniques and theories for you to use in your own work. The author connects architecture and level design in different ways that address the practical elements of how designers construct space and the experiential elements of how and why humans interact with that space. It also addresses industry issues like how to build interesting tutorial levels and how to use computer-generated level design systems without losing the player-focused design of handmade levels. Throughout the text, you will learn skills for spatial layout, evoking emotion through gamespaces, and creating better levels through architectural theory. FEATURES Presents case studies that offer insight on modern level design practices, methods, and tools Presents perspectives from industry designers, independent game developers, scientists, psychologists, and academics Explores how historical structures can teach us about good level design Shows how to use space to guide or elicit emotion from players Includes chapter exercises that encourage you to use principles from the chapter in digital prototypes, playtesting sessions, paper mock-ups, and design journalsBringing together topics in game design and architecture, this book helps you create better spaces for your games. Software independent, the book discusses tools and techniques that you can use in crafting your interactive worlds.

This second edition has been updated to include an assessment of economic relations up to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on three main threads that tie national economies together: flows of goods, of people and of finance.Since the end of the Second World War, the international economy transformed from a tightly controlled trading system to the financial globalization of the late 20th century. This book traces the organisation of international economic relations from the 1944 Bretton Woods conference through to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath. By outlining the development of economic policy of both national and international institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, this volume examines how the global system was constructed and explores the sources of inequality and instability. The changing political context is also emphasised, especially the Cold War and its end, the rise of China and other emerging market economies and the prospect of a retreat from globalisation in the wake of the 2008 crisis.Using non-technical language and providing clear examples and evidence, the book is an accessible introduction to international economic relations that will be useful for all students of modern world history since 1945.

Fracture Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, Fourth Edition is the most useful and comprehensive guide to fracture mechanics available. It has been adopted by more than 150 universities worldwide and used by thousands of engineers and researchers. This new edition reflects the latest research, industry practices, applications, and computational analysis and modeling. It encompasses theory and applications, linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics, solid mechanics, and materials science with a unified, balanced, and in-depth approach. Numerous chapter problems have been added or revised, and additional resources are available for those teaching college courses or training sessions. Dr. Anderson’s own website can be accessed at www.FractureMechanics.com.

William Schofield presents a classic analysis of mental illness, of professional psychotherapists and their training, and of the elements of psychotherapy. He asserts the need for more rigorous selection of candidates for therapy and for a properly focused training of a new professional specialist: the psychotherapist. In his new introduction to this important critique, Schofield shows why his pleas for a rational training program are still appropriate.Psychotherapy is a pioneering critique of modern psychiatric practices. Far too many people see psychotherapy as a cure for every ill from tormenting self-doubt to lack of zest of life. Through failure to attend to careful assessment of the presenting problem, and the nature (and neglect) of the applicant's social resources, the psychotherapist can fall unwittingly into the role of moral counselor or morale coach, and can be seduced into the chronic role of "best friend." Schofield argues that today's overburdened experts—psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric social workers—are not specifically trained to administer therapy through conversation. This book, first published in 1964, is an urgent call for a new specialist, a psychotherapist trained as a specialist in therapeutic conversation.This book is also a call for a more realistic public attitude toward mental disorder—one which distinguishes emotional illness from unhappiness and discontent. Everyone interested in the growth, clarification, and evaluation of psychotherapy and counseling will be challenged by Schofield's arguments.

Dinner Talk draws upon the recorded dinner conversations of, and extensive interviews with, native Israeli, American Israeli, and Jewish American middle-class families to explore the cultural styles of sociability and socialization in family discourse. The thesis developed is that family dinners in Western middle-class homes fulfill important functions of sociability for all participants and, at the same time, serve as crucial sites of socialization for children through language and for language use. The book demonstrates the way talk at dinner constructs, reflects, and invokes familial, social, and cultural identities and provides social support for easing the passage of children into adult discourse worlds.Family discourse at dinner emerges as a particularly rich site for discursive socialization and a highly meaningful enactment of sociable behavior in culturally patterned ways. Although all the families studied have a commom Eastern European background, Israeli and Jewish American families are shown to differ extensively in their interactional styles, in ways that enact historically different, community-related interpretations of the dialectics of continuity and change. Native Israeli, American Israeli, and Jewish American families differ culturally in the ways they negotiate issues of power, independence, and involvement through various speech activities such as the choice and initiation of topics, conversational story-telling, naming practices, metapragmatic discourse, politeness strategies, and in immigrant, bilingual families, language choice and code switching. Dinner Talk demonstrates the unique interactional style of each of the groups, linking the observed communication patterns to the ideological, sociocultural, and historical contexts of their respective communities.This innovative study of family discourse from a cross-cultural perspective will appeal to students and specialists in sociolinguistics, communication, anthropology, child language, and family and Jewish studies, as well as to all interested in patterns of communication within families.

In this pathbreaking work, Dagmar Herzog situates the birth of German liberalism in the religious conflicts of the nineteenth century. During the years leading up to the revolutions of 1848, liberal and conservative Germans engaged in a contest over the terms of the Enlightenment legacy and the meaning of Christianity--a contest that grew most intense in the Grand Duchy of Baden, where liberalism first became an influential political movement. Bringing insights drawn from Jewish and women's studies into German history, Herzog demonstrates how profoundly Christianity's problematic relationships to Judaism and to sexuality shaped liberal, conservative, and radical thought in the pre-revolutionary years. In particular, she reveals how often conflicts over the private sphere and the "politics of the personal" determined larger political matters.Herzog documents the unexpected rise of a politically sophisticated religious right led by conservative Catholics, and explores liberals' ensuing eagerness to advance a humanist version of Christianity. Yet she also examines the limitations at the heart of the liberal project, as well as the difficulties encountered by philo-Semitic and feminist radicals as they strove to reconceptualize both classical liberalism and Christianity in order to make room for the claims of Jews and women. The book challenges fundamental assumptions about processes of secularization and religious renewal and about Jewish-Christian relations in German history.

The availability of electric lighting has changed the lives of people the world over, yet as a major user of electricity it has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. This scrutiny has focused largely on the environmental consequences, with little consideration of the benefits of lighting. Human Factors in Lighting, Third Edition restores some balance to the discussion by examining the ways in which people interact with lighting. These interactions influence the ability to perform visual tasks; the perception of people, objects, and spaces; human comfort and behavior; as well as human health and safety. It is only by understanding how to use light to achieve these ends that lighting can be provided effectively and efficiently to the benefit of all.See What’s New in the Third Edition: New chapters on the non-image-forming system, lighting for pedestrians, light pollution, and lighting and electricity use Revision of all other chapters to update them to take into account the advances that have been made in our understanding of the effects of light on people over the last decade Integration of the combined effects of light via the visual and non-image-forming systems on performance and perception The book covers both the visual and the non-visual effects of light on people as well as the benefits of lighting and the costs it imposes on the environment. It details the consequences of exposure to lighting or lighting technology and the role of exposure to light on such basic functions of the body as circadian rhythms. The author combines information from many different sources and integrates them into a coherent overview of lighting practice that can be used to develop better lighting solutions at a lower environmental cost.

Quality work that fosters job satisfaction and health enjoys top priority in industry all over the world. This was not always so. Until recently analysis of job attitudes focused primarily on human relations problems within organizations. While American industry was trying to solve the unsolvable problem of avoiding interpersonal dissatisfaction, problems with the potential for solution, such as training and quality production, were ignored. When first published, 'The Motivation to Work' challenged the received wisdom by showing that worker fulfillment came from achievement and growth within the job itself. In his new introduction, Herzberg examines thirty years of motivational research in job-related areas. Based on workers' accounts of real events that have made them feel good or bad on the job, the findings of Herzberg and his colleagues have stimulated research and controversy that continue to the present day. The authors surprisingly found that while a poor work environment generated discontent, improved conditions seldom brought about improved attitudes. Instead, satisfaction came most often from factors intrinsic to work: achievements, job recognition, and work that was challenging, interesting, and responsible. The evidence marshaled by this volume called into question many previous assumptions about job satisfaction and worker motivation. Feelings about intrinsic and extrinsic factors could not be validly averaged on a single scale of measurement. Motivation and performance are not merely dependent upon environmental needs and external rewards. Frederick Herzberg and his staff based their motivation—hygiene theory on a variety of human needs and applied it to a strategy of job enrichment that has widely influenced motivation and job design strategies. 'Motivation to Work' is a landmark volume that is of enduring interest to sociologists, psychologists, labor studies specialists, and organization analysts.

Mathematical Modelling with Case Studies: Using Maple™ and MATLAB®, Third Edition provides students with hands-on modelling skills for a wide variety of problems involving differential equations that describe rates of change. While the book focuses on growth and decay processes, interacting populations, and heating/cooling problems, the mathematical techniques presented can be applied to many other areas.The text carefully details the process of constructing a model, including the conversion of a seemingly complex problem into a much simpler one. It uses flow diagrams and word equations to aid in the model-building process and to develop the mathematical equations. Employing theoretical, graphical, and computational tools, the authors analyze the behavior of the models under changing conditions. The authors often examine a model numerically before solving it analytically. They also discuss the validation of the models and suggest extensions to the models with an emphasis on recognizing the strengths and limitations of each model. The highly recommended second edition was praised for its lucid writing style and numerous real-world examples. With updated Maple™ and MATLAB® code as well as new case studies and exercises, this third edition continues to give students a clear, practical understanding of the development and interpretation of mathematical models.

Process industries have a particularly urgent need for collaborative equipment management systems, but until now have lacked for programs directed toward their specific needs. TPM in Process lndustries brings together top consultants from the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance to modify the original TPM Development Program. In this volume, they demonstrate how to analyze process environments and equipment issues including process loss structure and calculation, autonomous maintenance, equipment and process improvement, and quality maintenance. For all organizations managing large equipment, facing low operator/machine ratios, or implementing extensive improvement, this text is an invaluable resource.

Drawing upon her wide experience as actor and director, Janet Sonenberg shows what dreamwork can do. No other acting technique offers the performer's own dreams as a means to profoundly deepen imaginative and artistic expression. This is a wholly new tool with which actors can unleash startling performances.

Learn about the boy who - could read and add numbers when he was three years old, - thwarted his teacher by finding a quick and easy way to sum the numbers 1-100, - attracted the attention of a Duke with his genius, and became the man who... - predicted the reappearance of a lost planet, - discovered basic properties of magnetic forces, - invented a surveying tool used by professionals until the invention of lasers. Based on extensive research of original and secondary sources, this historical narrative will inspire young readers and even curious adults with its touching story of personal achievement.

In the ever-changing world of business, we've arrived at a point where process has trumped culture, where the race toward efficiency has left us unable to reach our potential. Stuck in the land of status quo, we've forgotten how to think. The very structures put in place to help businesses grow are now holding us back;; it's time to Kill the Company. This book is a call to arms: to start a revolution in how we think and work. But instead of more one-size-fits-all change initiatives forced upon employees, we need to embrace small changes that create ripple effects throughout the organization. Lisa Bodell urges companies to move from "Zombies, Inc." to "Think, Inc." Thinking can no longer be exclusive to the creative team or lead strategists. A culture of curiosity must be fostered among the ranks to shake up our standard practices, from unproductive meetings to go-nowhere strategic planning. This revolution can and will awaken our ability to think, and ultimately, to innovate and grow.

This engaging book presents the essential mathematics needed to describe, simulate, and render a 3D world. Reflecting both academic and in-the-trenches practical experience, the authors teach you how to describe objects and their positions, orientations, and trajectories in 3D using mathematics. The text provides an introduction to mathematics for game designers, including the fundamentals of coordinate spaces, vectors, and matrices. It also covers orientation in three dimensions, calculus and dynamics, graphics, and parametric curves.

Teaching children how to manage their intense emotions is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting or educating gifted children. Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students is an indispensable resource for parents and educators seeking to understand why gifted children can be so extreme in their behavior and how to manage the highs and lows that accompany emotional intensity.Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, this revised and updated third edition pulls from contemporary research to depict changes in how we understand and support gifted children as well as an increased understanding of trauma, social-emotional learning, and empathy development. Chapters feature role-plays and strategies designed to show parents and teachers how to interact and guide gifted children in a way that teaches them how to recognize, monitor, and adjust their behavior.Also featuring updated resources, worksheets, and checklists, this practical new edition is a must-read for anyone wishing to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of gifted children.

This reconstruction of Middle East politics and ideology focuses on the rise of the Zionist settlement in Palestine, the gradual emergence of Arab nationalism, and the increasing difficulties facing the British Mandatory government when reconciling the growing Arab-Jewish communal strife. The Communist International, searching for revolutionary situations in the underdeveloped world, attempted to use unrest in Palestine to undermine the Mandate. In the process two sections of the Communist movement were confronted with an expanding popular movement, Zionism, which they tried to suppress.The situation was unique. The Palestine Communist Party's leadership and membership were predominantly Jewish, and perceived the Communist International's anti-Zionist policies as a threat to the existence of the entire Jewish community. The Soviets themselves promoted an autonomous Jewish region within the Soviet Union and sought to combat manifestations of Zionism in the Middle East that might appeal to Russian Jewry.The precise mechanisms of control and policy influence that the Communist International exerted upon the Palestine Communist Party have only recently been revealed. The author's intimate knowledge of the Middle East enabled him to reconstruct the 1920s situation. By utilizing survivors' testimonies, he also was able to explain the roots of the strong anti-Israeli position taken by the Soviet Union at the time. Communism and Zionism in Palestine during the British Mandate is a vivid historical analysis and will be invaluable to those who wish to understand the complex present situation in the Middle East.

Capitalize on the principles of psychology to develop more effective leadership!Whether you work in a smokestack industry, the service sector, or a high-tech information-based business, the basic principles of industrial/organizational psychology you will find in The Handbook of Organizational Performance can help you obtain better performance from your employees. This comprehensive volume contains all the information you need to understand on-the-job behavior and effectively manage your employees. The Handbook of Organizational Performance gives you the tools and techniques you need to reward positive employee behaviors and correct undesirable ones before they become destructive habits. Using the principles of industrial/organizational psychology, you will learn how to train employees, how to determine criteria for performance appraisals, and how to establish leadership in the workplace.The Handbook of Organizational Performance is a comprehensive guide to all areas of management, including:designing more effective training managing occupational stress using ”pay-for-performance” plans reducing job-related injury and illness taking an active role in occupational safety encouraging business ethicsWith its clear structure and helpful charts, tables, and figures, The Handbook of Organizational Performance is an indispensable management tool and an essential text for students of business.

This book will introduce you to the controls and steer you towards understanding what Blender can do. With this program you can create 3D models of objects and characters. The objects and characters can be placed in scenes. The scenes are captured by camera and rendered into digital images. The objects and characters can be animated and then, again, captured by camera and rendered to video files. Video files can then be compiled into movies. This book will show you how to make the Blender program go through some of its paces and give you an insight into this fantastic world. You will be shown the controls and given operation instructions allowing you to activate a variety of features.