Story about the book with authors picture, etc...
http://www.peachpit.com/peachpit/features/3D/3D.html

Getting started with 3D graphics with authors Janet Ashford and John Odam.

Take your computer design skills one step further into the fascinating realm of desktop 3D. With clear explanations, colorful graphics, and creative concepts, Getting Started with 3D shows you how to navigate in 3D space, create complex models from simple parts, apply textures, set up lights, and position cameras to transform your ideas into dynamic worlds filled with depth, warmth, presence, and even humor.

You'll learn the basics of 3D modeling and rendering through projects that work with any 3D program, either in Windows or Macintosh. Whether you're creating a book illustration, a corporate logo or a Web graphic, Getting Started with 3D will give you the inspiration and confidence to "boldly go" where no designer has gone before.


About the Authors...

Janet Ashford

Janet Ashford is a freelance writer and designer and the co-author of four books on computer graphics: Start with a Scan: A Guide to Transforming Scanned Photos and Objects into High Quality Art (Peachpit, 1996), Adobe Illustrator: A Visual Guide for the Mac (Graphic-Sha/Addison-Wesley, 1995), Aldus PageMaker: A Visual Guide for the Mac (Graphic-Sha/Addison-Wesley, 1994), and The Verbum Book of PostScript Illustration (M & T Books, 1990).

Over the past seven years Ashford has written regular how-to articles on computer graphics for MacUser, Step-By-Step Electronic Design, Print and Step-By-Step Graphics. She has created designs for books, newsletters and brochures, and has produced original illustrations for posters, textbooks, and magazines.

Ashford has worked as a fine artist for the past thirty years, creating drawings, paintings and posters with watercolor, pen-and-ink, oils, acrylics, and silk screen. She is also a musician, and she composed and performed the original music for the interactive Photo CD that accompanies The Official Photo CD Handbook (Peachpit Press, 1995). Ashford plays fiddle with two bands, Lime in the Harp (playing Celtic and American folk music) and Los Californios (playing the music of early California), and also plays with a Javanese Gamelan orchestra.

Before becoming involved with computer graphics, Ashford wrote many books and articles on childbirth and women's health, including The Whole Birth Catalog (Crossing Press, 1983) and Birth Stories: The Experience Remembered (Crossing Press, 1984). From 1979 to 1988 she edited and published Childbirth Alternatives Quarterly, which is archived at the National Library of Congress. Ashford's satirical short story, Natural Love, is included in Cyborg Babies: From Techno-Sex to Techno-Tots (Routledge, 1998). Her latest childbirth project is a documentary video, The Timeless Way: A History of Birth from Ancient to Modern Times (InJoy Videos, 1998).

Ashford has a B.A. in psychology from UCLA. She and her three children live in and around Encinitas, California, north of San Diego. Information on all her work, including computer graphics, music, childbirth and psychology, can be seen at www.jashford.com.




John Odam
John Odam is an award-winning graphic designer who grew up in England and received his degree from Leicester College of Art. Unlike most of his fellow art students, John wasn't particularly attracted to advertising, so decided to focus his design career on publishing. He has been living in California since 1968.
He was for many years art director of the early desktop-published Verbum magazine and a contributor to Step-By-Step Electronic Design and Before & After.

In addition to his collaboration with Janet Ashford on Start with Scan, he is also co-author of The Gray Book (Ventana Press, 1990), a book on techniques for black-and-white computer art. He has contributed many articles and illustrations to magazines and books worldwide.

John runs a full-service design studio producing cover and page designs for college and trade books, advertising, signage, packaging, catalogs and multimedia.
John's other business revolves around Beardsley and Company, makers of a special favored shampoo for beards. You can visit the Beardsley website at http://www.infonex.com/~beardsley

In addition to playing mandocello, mandolin, mandola and guitar with Janet in Lime in the Harp, John also plays fiddle and mandolin in The Continental Drifters, a contradance string-band.