Inside The Art of Designing Virtual Sets: Interactive 3D Recipes readers will find turnkey tutorials that detail all the steps required to build simulations and interactions, utilize virtual cameras, virtual actors (with self-determined behaviors), and real-time physics including gravity, collision, and topography. With the free software demos included, 3D artists and developers can learn to build a fully functioning prototype. The book is dynamic enough to give both those with a programming background as well as those who are just getting their feet wet challenging and engaging tutorials in virtual set design, using the following tools: Macromedia Director and Virtools. Other software discussed are: 3ds max, Lightwave, and Maya. The book is constructed so that, depending on your project and design needs, you can read the text or interviews independently and/or use the book as reference for individual tutorials on a project-by-project basis. Each tutorial is followed by a short interview with a 3D graphics professional in order to provide insight and additional advice on particular interactive 3D techniques -- from user, designer, artist, and producer perspectives. * Create interactive, 3D sets - virtual buildings, terrains, as well as other virtual prototypes for games, film/video pre-visualization, and virtual reality design for the Web from sketch to fully-working prototype * Interviews with experts in the field provide additional insight into each tutorial * Dozens of tutorials on CD-ROM, and dozens more on author's website