Art is...Computer Animation

While many gamers have an opinion about how virtual video game star Lara Croft is stacked, few probably know how she and other inhabitants of virtual worlds are literally built. The answer is polygon by polygon. While this video doesn't demonstrate how to build a Lara (sorry, you lecherous Tomb Raider fans), it does a nice job of showing how 3-D modeling and animation software works (in this case, Lightwave), and pointing out ways high school art teachers can use it in the classroom. Viewers will learn the basics of using hard-angled polygons to build a figure, building, or background, as well as how to create rounder, more organic-looking forms. The final touches of realism are achieved through virtual lighting (using the same concepts behind film and broadcast techniques such as three-point lighting and the effects of gels) and the motion path of the "camera." The video ends with an impressive piece authored by a high school student. Recommended. Aud: H, P. (C. Block)