Mesmer Press
Simple Rendering in Softimage XSI
DVD Review
Overall, I would definately say this DVD is a worthy buy, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the XSI render tree. There's a wealth of information to be had here... Unfortunately, through most of the DVD the narrator is navigating so quickly through the menus while discussing the different nodes and effects that if you're trying to follow along in XSI (or heck, even if you aren't) he can be very hard to follow. In other words, he's telling you about how the node or shader affects your object without actually showing you how he got to that point to beginwith. So if you're totally unfamiliar with the XSI rendertree, you can get lost very quickly, and wind up watching certain sections of the video over and over until it clicks.
Though given the fact that there is so much information to impart with only so much space available on the DVD, I understand how this might be a necessity... but it does become a little annoying after a while.
I really wish more time had been devoted to using the texture editor... but that is an art and science unto itself, and I can see how an entire DVD could be devoted to that alone.
So all in all, despite the warts, this is a great learning tool; and as far as I'm concerned, video/DVDs like this one are the *best* way to learn 3D modelling packages like XSI outside of an interactive classroom.
John L. Beck (Charlotte, NC United States)
Product Details
* Format: Dolby, Color, Animated, Ac-
* Studio: Mesmer Press
* DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004
* Average Customer Review: Based on 2 Reviews
* DVD Features:
* From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia
* ASIN: B0002HDH0G
