<>Full Color!
In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself 3ds Max in 24 Hours will help you master Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 and use it to create outstanding 3D content for games, video, film, and motion graphics. Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll master powerful 3ds Max tools for modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, and more. Every lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!
Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common 3ds Max tasks.
“Try It Yourself” guided mini tutorials offer quick hands-on experience with 3ds Max’s key tools.
Quizzes and exercises test your knowledge.
Notes, tips, and cautions offer extra information and alert you to possible problems.
Learn how to...
- Quickly get comfortable with the 3ds Max 2014 interface
- Create, move, and modify 3D objects
- Edit and tweak the elements of any object
- Start modeling hard-surface and organic objects
- Work with materials and textures
- Explore and create animation
- Illuminate scenes with lighting
- Use cameras to control a scene’s point of view
- Render 3D creations for production
- Rig and skin objects, making them easier to animate
- Learn the 12 essential principles of character animation
- Create devastating dynamic simulations
- Add visual effects, cloth, hair, and fur
- Automate repetitive tasks with MAXScript
- Create a professional-quality showcase
The accompanying DVD/website contain how-to videos for dozens of key 3ds Max 2014 tasks, extensive sample art and models, and additional bonus content.
Table of Contents:
Preface xvii
Hour 1: Introduction 1
What This Book Covers 2
This Book’s Structure 4
What Is Autodesk 3ds Max? 7
Getting Autodesk 3ds Max 7
Extra Stuff 7
Disclaimer and Disclosure 8
Summary 9
Q&A 9
Workshop 9
Exercise 9
Hour 2: Exploring the Interface 11
The Interface Elements 12
Quad Menus 27
Summary 28
Q&A 29
Workshop 29
Exercise 30
Hour 3: Navigating the Viewports 31
3D Space 31
The ViewCube 33
SteeringWheels 34
Viewport Navigation Controls 35
Viewport Configuration 36
The Viewport Layout Tab 37
Summary 39
Q&A 39
Workshop 39
Exercise 40
Hour 4: Primitives and Transforms 41
Primitive Creation 41
Names and Colors 46
Types of Primitives 47
More Than Primitives 50
Object Manipulation in 3D Space 51
Summary 59
Q&A 59
Workshop 59
Exercise 60
Hour 5: 3ds Max Modifiers 61
The Modify Tab 61
The Buttons Under the Modifier Stack 64
World Space Versus Local/Object Space 66
Summary 68
Q&A 69
Workshop 69
Exercise 70
Hour 6: Sub-Object Exploration 71
An Introduction to the Three Sub-Objects 71
Working with Sub-Objects 73
Vertex, Edge, and Polygon Sub-Object Levels 74
Editable Poly Sub-Object Rollouts 76
Normals 81
Summary 83
Q&A 83
Workshop 83
Exercise 84
Hour 7: 3D Modeling 85
Creating a Cartoon Face 85
Creating a Spaceship 93
Creating a Futuristic City Planet 100
Additional Modeling Techniques 104
Summary 106
Q&A 106
Workshop 106
Exercise 107
Hour 8: Materials and Textures 109
The Material Editor 109
Applying Textures to Objects 114
Assigning Multiple Materials 116
UVW Mapping 123
Summary 129
Q&A 129
Workshop 129
Exercise 130
Hour 9: Computer Animation 131
Basic Animation Concepts 131
The Animation Tools 133
First Steps into Animation 135
Pivot Points 141
Summary 142
Q&A 143
Workshop 143
Exercise 144
Hour 10: Illuminating Scenes Using Lights 145
3ds Max Lighting Introduction 145
Standard Lights 148
Photometric Lights 150
Adding Lights to a Scene 151
Summary 154
Q&A 154
Workshop 155
Exercise 155
Hour 11: Adding and Editing 3D Camera 157
Camera-Based Concepts 157
3ds Max Cameras 159
Animating Cameras 164
Cameras and Modifiers 166
Summary 166
Q&A 166
Workshop 167
Exercise 167
Hour 12: Rendering for Production 169
An Overview of Rendering in 3ds Max 169
Quick Rendering 170
Rendering Tools 172
Still Image Rendering 178
Animation Rendering 178
Summary 181
Q&A 182
Workshop 182
Exercise 183
Hour 13: Combining Techniques to Create a Showcase 185
Stages Explained 185
Stage 1: Preparation 186
Stage 2: Materials 189
Stage 3: Camera 192
Stage 4: Animation 193
Stage 5: Lighting 194
Stage 6: Final Changes 196
Stage 7: Rendering 198
Summary 198
Q&A 198
Workshop 199
Exercise 199
Hour 14: Rigging Objects for Easier Animation 201
Hierarchies and Linking 201
Bone Tools 205
Forward and Inverse Kinematics 207
Creating a Custom Rig 210
Using Character Studio (Biped) 211
Using CAT (Character Animation Toolkit) 212
Summary 214
Q&A 214
Workshop 215
Exercise 215
Hour 15: Influencing Geometry Using Skinning Techniques 217
What Is Skinning? 217
Influence Area and Envelopes 218
The Skin Modifier 219
Manual Skin Weighting 223
Setting Up Characters for Animation Use 228
Summary 231
Q&A 231
Workshop 231
Exercise 232
Hour 16: Character Animation 233
The 12 Principles of Animation 233
The Bouncing Ball 242
Summary 252
Q&A 253
Workshop 253
Exercise 254
Hour 17: Dynamic Simulations 255
The MassFX Toolset 255
Creating Keyframed Animation from Dynamic Simulations 259
Causing Destruction with MassFX 261
Summary 266
Q&A 267
Workshop 267
Exercise 267
Hour 18: Particles and Effects 269
Space Warps 269
Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems 273
Event-Driven Particle Systems: Particle Flow 275
Summary 283
Q&A 284
Workshop 284
Exercise 285
Hour 19: Cloth, Hair, and Fur Creation 287
Simulating Cloth 287
Simulating Hair and Fur 292
Summary 299
Q&A 299
Workshop 299
Exercise 300
Hour 20: Mental Ray Rendering 301
Mental Ray Introduction 301
Common Render Settings 304
The Mental Ray Daylight System 306
Daylight and Additional Lights 311
Summary 312
Q&A 312
Workshop 312
Exercise 313
Hour 21: 3ds Max Project Management Techniques 315
Scene Workflow 315
Naming Conventions 323
Project Setup and Folder Handling 325
Project Management in Production 326
Summary 328
Q&A 329
Workshop 329
Exercise 330
Hour 22: Combining Advanced Techniques to Create a Showcase 331
Stage 1: Getting Started 331
Stage 2: Preparation 332
Stage 3: Project Management 332
Stage 4: Creation 335
Stage 5: Layout 337
Stage 6: Camera and Lensing 341
Stage 7: Animation and Visual Effects 342
Stage 8: Lighting 344
Stage 9: Final Changes 345
Stage 10: Rendering and Output 346
Summary 347
Q&A 348
Workshop 348
Exercise 349
Hour 23: Scripting in 3ds Max Using MAXScript 351
Programming and Scripting Basics 351
The MAXScript Tools 352
Basic MAXScript Scripting 355
Using MAXScript to Create User Interfaces 359
Summary 362
Q&A 363
Workshop 363
Exercise 364
Hour 24: Conclusion 365
Hour 24: The Final Hour 365
Developing Your Skills 366
One Piece of Advice 368
Additional Help and Guidance 369
Summary 371
Q&A 371
Workshop 372
Exercise 375
Index 377
About the Author :
Stewart Jones started his visual journey in graphic and multimedia design. He has since moved into the computer graphics industry, where his focus has been on animation and visual effects. Now a company director and freelance VFX/CG/animation consultant for the film, TV, and games industries, he has previously served in multiple roles in media and entertainment, including mentor and course author, animator, technical animator, character technical director, and computer graphics supervisor. Stewart also wrote Digital Creature Rigging.
