101 Reasons To Switch To The Mac (2006)

You've seen lots of "how to" information...but 101 Reasons to Switch to a Mac offers the "why to"! Inside, instead of tech-talk and speed tests, 101 Reasons to Switch to the Mac offers true stories and unbiased advice from a long-time Windows user who, along with a million others in 2005, made the switch to a Mac.

The chapters explore the benefits of working with a Mac, the power of the Mac OS X operating system, and the advantages of owning a computer that "just works." The comprehensive software guide recommends great applications that make short work of everyday tasks like surfing the web, ripping music, watching movies, retouching photos, laying out brochures, and much more. You'll also find pointers to great websites packed with resources for switchers and new Mac owners alike.

Already a Mac user? This Short Cut makes the perfect gift for friends and family who haven't yet discovered the joy of switching. The next time a PC user says, "Give me one good reason to switch!" you'll be prepared...with 101 Reasons to Switch to a Mac.

Here are just a few of the 101 reasons!

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55 Ways To Have Fun With Google (2006)

Philipp is best know for his wildly popular blog, "Google Blogoscoped." He covers anything and everything Google, and probably knows more about Google than Google themselves. Philipp's unending obsession with all things Google has led him to writing this book. 

I say it's a great coffee table or bathroom reading book, because each chapter (some very short) has a unique and interesting thing you can do with Google. And for most people, you will want to put the book down and go to your computer and try it after reading it. Some of those very interesting chapters include, "Googlebombing," "Googlepolls," "Growing a Google Word" and of course "EgoGoogling." 

This a great gift book for anyone that uses the Internet regularly.

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3ds Max 8 Bible (2006)

I find this a well written resource of value to newcomers to the subject. It will have a place beside the computer for years to come. Truly an indepth exposition on the program. 
Those seeking artistic inspiration with the software should look elsewhere.

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3ds Max 6 Bible (2004)

This huge 1255 page book is truly Bible sized as is needed to describe such a massive software system. By any standard ‘max’ is massive. It is, of course, a graphics software package capable of the most advanced graphical images. 

Books on software systems have to balance between being a reference book with a structure that makes it easy to find what you seek. Or the book can be a tutorial that leads the reader along a path intended to get him using the software quickly. This book draws an interesting balance between the two. There is basically a reference book structure, but imposed within it are numerous tutorials on building particular images. This approach works well for me, when I'm looking for something specific, lighting for instance, I can find it. Or, if it's a brand new subject the tutorials lead through getting started to produce something useful. Then the reference like descriptions lead on to the more specific details needed for the particular project. 

This is the fourth edition of this book. This has given the author time to work out the details the way he wants them, to take into account comments made on the previous editions requesting more information about specific points, and of course to completely cover the new features in ‘max 6’. 

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3D Studio Max 5 for Dummies

This book is a great confidence booster and teaches you the basics so that you can create your own art in 3dsmax 5. It is VERY user friendly and the info is clear and useful. If you want complicated, headache inducing tutorials, search else where. To gain a better understanding of 3dsmax, in plain English, buy this book. Read from cover to cover for best results.

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3D Game Programming All In One

This book is entirely on how to do games using Torque using the Torque Script which is basically very similar to C/C++.

It goes through set up, network play, loading models, creating terrains, 3d movement of the character, collision detection, creating the gui, loading levels.

This is great if you want an easy introduction to using a proper game engine. It also goes into reasonable depth on creating the art for Torque - milkshape for character modelling and animation, making vehicles and guns, paint shop pro for textures, quark for buildings/structures, creating terrains.

Most of the examples you write build up into a game towards the end. I would strongly recommend this book if:

1)You are a c/c++ programmer and have done a bit of game programming and want to get started using a proper engine

2)You don't want to re-invent the wheel and want to use a game engine with built in networking and other common features

3)an artist who wants an intro into setting up art to use in a game engine so you can team up with a programmer to help do your game.

If you use all the Torque features you will be saving yourself years of programming - imagine doing networking for games from scratch ? Doing animation from scratch ? Guis? Level editor ? All of the above ? etc etc

I would not recommend this book if you want to program games but haven't got c/c++ or good programming skills as it may seem a bit steep. Or if you're an artist and think you can get a game done using Torque without needing a programmer.

So to summarise this is a useful, helpful intro to using Torque.

Torque will save you years of development if you want to do a multilevel multiuser game. Not everything is covered though - AI is not covered nor can I work out from reading this how you could put AI into the game - I think that is covered by the next book "Advanced 3d game programming all in one".

Also, it gives a good intro in how to use the arts tools to create characters. This should be enough for programmers to understand the issues an artist may have. It should also be enough for artists to get started. However, if I were you I'd focus your efforts on one or the other, make friends with someone who can do the other parts as doing the programming and arts is too much for one person in reality.

I wish I had used it now - I've been doing hobbyist games for 3 years now - this would have saved me about 18 months of these three years as I always ended up having to re-invent common gaming solutions.

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