Learn 3D with Cheetah 3D 6

Learn 3D with Cheetah 3D 6 is available now from Lulu.com for $19.99. It is also available in the iBookstore, and from Barnes & Noble's Nook store. (It is no longer available for Kindle owing to Amazon's atrocious royalty policy.) The Lulu version is in DRM-free ePub format.

If you're interested in trying out Cheetah 3d, you can get it from the Cheetah 3d Website or the Mac App Store.

This forum thread is for suggestions as to the book's content.

This mini-site also collects together many of my contributions to the Cheetah 3d community (outside the forums).

Below are some sample pages from the first edition as displayed in iBooks. (Second Edition looks similar, but has been somewhat reorganized.)

Note that ePub and Nook books can be read on almost any device, Adobe Editions only works on desktop computers, and iBooks only works on sufficiently modern iOS devices. I do not recommend trying to read this book on an i-Ink device — it is heavily reliant on color graphics.

Stats for the Second Edition

• 81,000 words
• 661 images
• 16 tutorials (some long, most short)

What's Covered in the Second Edition

• All new features of Cheetah 3D 6 (although I plan to add more detail over time)
• Materials from the simplest flat shader to complex planetary shaders
• Modeling
• Modifiers and Creators
• Animation
• Rigging
• Character Animation
• Workflow
• Particles
• Workarounds for some missing features
• Many kinds of lighting techniques
• Scripting — yes, I actually try to explain how to write and debug scripts

Buying Learn 3D with Cheetah 3D 6

• Lulu.com $19.99 ePub with no DRM
• iBookstore $19.99 ePub for iBooks
• BN.com $19.99 ePub for NOOK

Note that the Lulu.com version is DRM-free and can be read in iBooks or on a Nook (color display recommended). Unfortunately, Amazon's devices do not support DRM-free ePub books at this time.

Note: Learn 3D with Cheetah 3D includes many color illustrations, so a color-capable book-reader (such as the iPad, Color Nook, or Nexus 7/10) is strongly recommended. Note that one of the popular free ereader apps for Android has problems rendering the book, but there are better (also free) alternatives.

The book is $19.99 through Lulu and will be available for the same price from Apple's iBookstore and Barnes & Noble's Nook store.