Mastering Autodesk VIZ 2008 -- Acknowledgments -- About the Author -- Contents at a Glance -- Contents -- Introduction -- How to Use This Book -- What You'll Find -- System Requirements -- What's on the Website? -- Chapter 1: Getting to Know VIZ -- Introducing the New VIZ 2008 Features -- Getting Started -- Touring the Interface -- Working with Objects -- Getting the View You Want -- Working with the Custom UI and Defaults Switcher -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 2: Introducing VIZ Objects -- Understanding Standard Primitives -- Modeling Standard Primitives with Modifiers -- How VIZ Sees Objects -- Making Clones That Share Properties -- Introducing Extended Primitives -- Working with Groups -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 3: Creating Shapes with Splines -- Drawing with Splines -- Modifying a Shape Using Subobject Levels -- Outlining and Extruding Splines -- Combining and Extruding Primitive Splines -- Joining Closed Splines with Boolean Tools -- Creating a Solid Form with Splines -- Introducing the Spline Types -- Editing Splines -- Placing and Beveling Text -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 4: Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects -- Creating Openings in a Wall with Boolean Operations -- Tracing Over a Sketch -- Editing Meshes -- Using Instance Clones to Create Symmetric Forms -- Attaching Objects to a Mesh -- Smoothing Meshes -- Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 5: Creating AEC and Entourage Objects -- Using AEC Objects -- Creating Trees with the EASYnat Plug-in -- Adding Content with the RPC Plug-in -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 6: Organizing and Editing Objects -- Naming Objects -- Organizing Objects by Layers -- Lofting the Roof -- Creating Surfaces from Splines -- Creating Shells from Surfaces -- Completing the Roof -- Extruding with the Sweep Modifier -- Aligning Objects -- The Bottom Line.

Chapter 7: Light and Shadow -- Lighting Your Model -- Rendering a View -- Ambient Light -- Adding Shadow Effects -- Playing in the Shadows -- Using the Light Lister -- Using Scene States -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 8: Enhancing Models with Materials -- Understanding Bitmap Texture Maps -- Adding Materials to Objects -- Understanding Mapping Coordinates -- Editing Materials -- Selecting Shaders -- Map Scalar Modifiers -- Using Bump Maps -- Adding Entourage -- Ray-Tracing Reflection and Refraction -- Assigning Materials to Parts of an Object -- Using the Architectural Material -- The Material Utilities -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 9: Staging Your Design -- Understanding the VIZ Camera -- Setting Up an Interior View -- Creating an Environment -- Immersive Environments for Animation -- Using Render Types -- Render Elements for Compositing -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 10: Working with Files -- Gaining Access to Materials and Objects from Other Files -- Arranging Furniture with XRefs and the Asset Browser -- Replacing Objects with Objects from an External File -- Arranging Furniture with XRef Scenes -- Using the Rendered Frame Windows -- Using the Asset Browser on the Internet -- Tracking and Locating a Scene's Assets -- Publishing a DWF File -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 11: Using Radiosity -- Adding Daylight to Your Model -- Understanding the Radiosity Workflow -- Creating a Finished Rendering -- Working with Artificial Lights -- Understanding Photometric Lights -- Understanding Dynamic Range -- Assembling an Articulated Luminaire -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 12: Using mental ray -- Understanding mental ray -- Using Photon Maps -- Final Gathering -- Contour Renderings -- Skylight Global Illumination -- Using High Dynamic Range Images -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 13: Understanding Animation -- Understanding the World of Video Time.

Creating a Quick-Study Animation -- Understanding Keyframes -- Increasing the Number of Frames in an Animation Segment -- Accelerating and Decelerating the Camera Motion Smoothly -- Editing Keyframes -- Adding More Frames for Additional Camera Motion -- Adding Frames to the Beginning of a Segment -- Other Options for Previewing Your Motion -- Moving the Camera Target over Time -- Controlling Lights over Time -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 14: Creating Animations -- Rendering the Animation -- Automating Output of Multiple Still Images -- Rendering a Shadow Study -- Creating a Walkthrough -- The Animation File Output Options -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 15: Using Photoshop with VIZ -- The Photoshop Interface and VIZ -- Creating a Tree Map in Photoshop -- Creating the Opacity Map -- Using Photoshop to Create a Montage -- Creating Bump Maps for Elaborate Textures -- Modeling with Displacement Maps -- Using the Material Editor to Create Displaced Geometry -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 16: Combining Photographs with VIZ Designs -- Mesh Editing with a Photograph -- Adding Detail with Photographs -- Matching Your Scene to a Background Image -- The Bottom Line -- Chapter 17: Using Other Autodesk Applications with VIZ -- Creating Topography with Splines -- Setting Up an AutoCAD Plan for VIZ -- Importing AutoCAD Plans into VIZ -- Exploring the File Link Manager -- Importing a Truss -- Importing Revit Files into VIZ -- The Bottom Line -- Appendix A: The Bottom Line -- Chapter 1: Getting to Know VIZ -- Chapter 2: Introducing VIZ Objects -- Chapter 3: Creating Shapes with Splines -- Chapter 4: Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects -- Chapter 5: Creating AEC and Entourage Objects -- Chapter 6: Organizing and Editing Objects -- Chapter 7: Light and Shadow -- Chapter 8: Enhancing Models with Materials -- Chapter 9: Staging Your Design.

Chapter 10: Working with Files -- Chapter 11: Using Radiosity -- Chapter 12: Using mental ray -- Chapter 13: Understanding Animation -- Chapter 14: Creating Animations -- Chapter 15: Using Photoshop with VIZ -- Chapter 16: Combining Photographs with VIZ Designs -- Chapter 17: Using Other Autodesk Applications with VIZ -- Appendix B: Modifiers and Materials -- Modifiers -- Materials and Maps -- Appendix C: Patches and NURBS Surfaces -- Understanding Patches -- Understanding NURBS -- Appendix D: Helpers and Effects -- Helpers -- Effects -- Index.