BOOK REVIEWS
J. Chem. Inf. Model., Vol. 48, No. 1, 2008 245
BOOK REVIEWS Adobe Acrobat 8: Classroom in a Book. By the Adobe Creative Team. Adobe Press. 2006. xii + 514 pp, CD-ROM. ISBN 0-321-47085-0, 978-0-321-47085-0. Softcover U.S. $45.00. This book is the latest in the series that Adobe publishes when a new version of Acrobat is introduced. It is similar to and as useful as previous versions of the book associated with the older versions of Acrobat. The book consists of 19 chapters and a CD-ROM with lessons associated with each chapter. The book covers both the standard and the Professional version of Acrobat. The book is both a tutorial when using the CD-ROM as well as a reference for the many features of Acrobat. Acrobat has become an essential tool in the workflow of just about every organization. Acrobat is the Adobe product that creates PDF documents and is not the free version, which is the Adobe Reader. As one would expect the book covers creating, combining, and editing PDF files. The book is well detailed and useful for both beginners and those wishing to brush up on making and using PDF files. A useful addition in Acrobat 8 is the new Acrobat redaction tool that allows one to permanently delete confidential text and picture illustration from PDF files before sharing them with others. In addition, PDF documents can now be saved in Microsoft Word format retaining the layout, formatting/fonts, tables, and so on. Last, one can also combine different sources like Internet Web pages, Microsoft office documents, and e-mails into one PDF file. Overall this is a book worth having, and the price remains reasonable.
Maya 8 for Windows and Macintosh (Visual Quickstart Guide). By Morgan Robinson & Nathaniel Stern. Peachpit Press. 2007. xii + 532 pp. ISBN 0-321-47675-1, 978-0-32147675-1. Softcover U.S. $34.99. The Autodesk1 software program Maya is a powerful software package for creating integrated 3D modeling, animation, and related effects. The book contains 18 chapters, ranging from an introduction to basics of the Maya software to how to create 3D content for presentations. It has particular use in biochemistry to show and animate DNA, proteins, and docking of molecules as well as others chemical reactions. There are numerous advantages of this type of multimedia technology to present researchers, teachers, and students with a unique way of looking at and understanding the concepts and ideas found in almost all areas of chemistry. This is a useful, well written, and inexpensive book for those wanting to create some really powerful and useful presentations. It does lack a CD-ROM tutorial but otherwise is very good.
REFERENCES AND NOTES (1) Autodesk, Inc., 111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, CA 94903.
Stephen R. Heller NIST, PCPD, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Stephen R. Heller NIST, PCPD, Gaithersburg, Maryland
CI7004109
CI7004115
10.1021/ci7004109
10.1021/ci7004115
