3D scientific visualization with Blenderª / Brian R. Kent.

"Version: 20150301"--Title page verso.

"A Morgan & Claypool publication as part of IOP Concise Physics"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references.

Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Author biography -- Introduction -- Visualization in the sciences -- What is Blender? -- Rendering engines -- Community support -- Types of data visualization in the sciences

The interface and windowing set-up -- Interface introduction -- Windowing set-up for Python -- Data types and Python modules -- Python libraries

Meshes, models and textures -- Structure of 3D mesh objects -- 2D materials and textures -- -- 3D materials and textures

Lighting -- Lighting and color selection in Blender

Animation -- Keyframes -- Frame rates and rendering output -- Node compositing

Point of view : camera control -- Projection differences : a matter of perspective -- Camera keyframes

Python scripting -- Scripting in Blender

Projects and 3D examples -- 3D scatter plot -- N-body simulation -- Magnetic fields -- Lagrangian equilibrium and zero-velocity curves -- Geophysics : planetary surface mapping -- Volumetric rendering and data cubes -- Physics module and rigid body dynamics -- Appendix A. Blender keyboard shortcuts.

This is the first book written on using Blender (an open source visualization suite widely used in the entertainment and gaming industries) for scientific visualization. It is a practical and interesting introduction to Blender for understanding key parts of 3D rendering and animation that pertain to the sciences via step-by-step guided tutorials. 3D Scientific Visualization with Blender takes you through an understanding of 3D graphics and modelling for different visualization scenarios in the physical sciences.

Astronomers, physicists, electrical & mechanical engineers, science & math educators, 3D graphics and special effects artists. Undergraduate level.

Also available in print.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Dr. Brian R Kent is a scientist with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia. His publications and studies in astrophysics and computing include scientific visualizations of a variety of theoretical and observational phenomena. He is interested in visualizing data for scientific analysis as well as reaching a broad audience with the stunning visuals that modern 3D graphics can provide. Dr Kent received his PhD in Astronomy and Space Sciences from Cornell University. You can see several of his animations and visualizations on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/VisualizeAstronomy.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on March 3, 2015).