Ray Dream Studio is one of the most popular 3D design tools on the market today. Its low price makes it attractive to people just getting started in 3D, and its extensive feature set has made it a regular component of the professional artist's toolbox. The Ray Dream 5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide is the ideal companion for users in both categories. The book, which covers Ray Dream Designer and Ray Dream Animator, leads the beginning student step by step through creating 3D objects, using shaders to apply materials to them, then setting up and lighting a scene. Additional chapters walk the reader through animating the image for a Web page, video output, or multimedia.

The Ray Dream 5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide will be especially useful for users upgrading from version 4--the book will follow close on the heels of the release of version 5 and will take special care to point out what's new. Professional artists will also want to keep a copy handy as a quick reference guide.