Reviews for Ray Dream 5 for Windows and Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guides)

1. A great reference and painkiller for novices.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, January 12st, 1999

   When I started using Ray Dream studio, I became quite discouraged with the manuel the software came with. Visual Quickstart helped me to get through the basics of raydream, but it still has left me with some unanswered questions. I do recommend this book to beginners, although the authors are far from becoming engaging writers. If only Kurt Vonnegut was into this stuff. The guide (as they say) is inexpensive, and it can provide the novice with a basic understanding of how Raydream Studio works. I would definitely be lost without it.

2. It is very informative,and a must have for beginers

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 1998

   I just bought the book today, it is worth the price. Its easier to read than the manual, and gives you enough information about each section of the program. better than the tutorials provided in the manual.

3. Covers basics of the program without many useful suggestions

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 1998

   While the book does cover the basic elements within the program, it doesn't explain why or when you would want to use the features, nor give good examples of what can be done with each feature. This is a book designed for beginners, and the level is correct. But, beginners more than anyone need tips and examples to get up and running. So, save your money, and do the tutorials that came with Ray Dream. Then, you can get a truly useful book like Ray Dream Handbook by Sledd.

4. all you can ask for for this low price

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 1998

   this book is no doubt an excellent overview of the program and one of the best ways one can spend $15. however, could use tutorials of more complicated models. modeling tutorials featured in the book are all very very basic, and offer no excitement whatsoever. and the last few chapters on camera, lighting, animation and rendering could be better and more clearly explained. but again, if you know nothing about RDS5, this is a good way to go. it's boring, but it does the job.

5. Well Structured, In-Depth Tour of "Ray Dream Studio 5"

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 1998

   Hello all! I downloaded a 32 mbyte demo version of "Ray Dream Studio 5", and unfortunately, there was no pdf type tutorial included so only the online help could answer any potential questions. That really wasn't what I wanted so I went cruisin' through the Amazon and found this little gem. With the very reasonable price; shown above, it was worth every penny. It gives a jam-packed, 300 page introduction, and provides a solid foundation that leaves you in a good position to tackle more involved tutorials. (Perhaps - "The Ray Dream Handbook"). In particular, their coverage of the "Free Form Modeler" and the "Mesh Form Modeler" packages is exceptional. If you should test out the Ray Dream demo before buying the product, this is definetly a -BUY! By the way, if you decide to download this hefty package from the internet and have a 28.8 modem like me, do it between 12am and 7:30am!