3D Studio MAX® R3 Bible [Paperback]

Kelly L. Murdock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076454621X | ISBN-13: 978-0764546211 | Publication Date: January 2000

Master valuable 3D modeling and animation skills to create spectacular visual effects with 3D Studio MAX R3 Bible. Each chapter in this authoritative guide helps you harness the power of MAX's specialized tools, effects, and utilities:
* Familiarize yourself with the new features in R3, understand the interface, and discover how to configure and customize MAX.
* Learn how to reference, select, transform, and modify models, cameras, lights, and any other object that can be viewed in a viewport.
* Model objects by working on primitives, spline shapes, meshes, patches, NURBS, and a variety of specialized compound objects, including Lofts and Morphs.
* Control light and cameras, as well as several lighting special effects and camera utilities.
* Use particle systems and space warps to enhance any MAX scene.
* Create animated scenes with keyframing, Track View, and Controllers.
* Extend the features of MAX with plug-ins.
The jam-packed CD-ROM includes exclusive Bible plug-ins, including Brick Object, Gear Object, Rainbow Effect, and more. It also offers sample 3D models and complete tutorial files to help you take full advantage of MAX 3R.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

3D Studio Max 3 is large, robust, and comprehensive, just like the massive 3D Studio Max 3 Bible. With its 1,100 pages, including a 50-page index, it covers everything you care to know about the basic Max package.

Beginning with all the new features available in release 3 (of which there are many) the book continues on to subjects such as rendering, post-production, and ways to extend the power of Max using plug-ins and Maxscript.

Although a hefty book, its 41 chapters aren't padded with fluff or screen shots--in fact, more screen shots would be welcome. Each page is filled with step-by-step instructions, tips, and notes on how to use just about any feature in Max, from navigating and customizing the Max interface to basic and advanced modeling, using and controlling lights and cameras, and deformations.

Not only does the Max Bible explain everything (there's even a whole chapter on setting up network rendering), but each chapter also has at least one, usually two, step-by-step tutorials to demonstrate the features described. The tutorials are usually very short and to the point since they are designed to demonstrate the workings of a specific feature. For example, the tutorial on using the Motion Capture controller consists of only four steps, using the example of animating a pencil over the surface of a sheet of paper. All the objects are made from primitives, and no time is wasted on modeling and texturing a realistic pencil or a paper surface.

While the short tutorials are a great way to learn quickly, longer, more in-depth lessons would be helpful. The color gallery pages do offer some nice examples of high-level work, but there is no explanation of how they were created or how the artist approached the scene.

The accompanying CD-ROM offers numerous models, in addition to the tutorial elements used throughout the book, plus the added bonus of a set of plug-ins for Max 3. The gear-making primitive, the toy brick-making primitive, and several rendering plug-ins (TV Image is cool) are more than worth the cost of the book.

If you need a single point of reference to keep handy when working in Max, 3D Studio Max 3 Bible is a good place to start. If you buy two, you can use them to do arm curls while your version of Toy Story is rendering. --Mike Caputo

From the Publisher

Master the new features in R3 -- the improved user interface, updated modeling tools, new rendering engine, and more.

Create sophisticated 3D models using NURBs, splines, patches, meshes, and lofts.

Give your model life-like motion with Inverse Kinematics and Character Studio.

Build intricate special effects using particle systems and Space Warps.

Improve your producitivity and workflow with External References and MAXscript.

Enhance your renderings with the new Render Effects and Video Post interface.

JAM-PACKED BONUS CD-ROM features exclusive Furious Research plug-ins, including Lego-like Brick Object, Gear Object, Rainbow Effect, Stereogram Rendering Effect, Cartoon/Sketch Rendering Effect, Ball and Stick, plus Rhinoceros evaluation version, 3D-Paralex, sample 3D models, complete tutorial files, Kinetix MAX R3 non-interactive demo, and more!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1151 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076454621X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764546211
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,042,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3d Studio Max R3 Bible, February 5, 2000

By 

James Hardyman (Johnston Island U.S. Pacific) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Studio MAX® R3 Bible (Paperback)

This book is excellent at describing all of the functions and abilities of Max R3 and providing numerous tutorials on how to use them. It also provides scenerios/descriptions of how and where in your animation these various abilities might be used.

I have at least a dozen Max books (releases 1-3) that each have their strong points, but overall I am most pleased with 3d Studio Max R3 Bible, because it has something for beginners, intermediate and advanced users. Many books will tell you in detail about the features or functions in Max, but may not give you any real scenerio of how you can use them in your work, But because of the numerous tutorials, this book sparks ideas of "hey, I can use that to do......" A definite bargain.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book - just don't touch the plug-ins!, April 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Studio MAX® R3 Bible (Paperback)

This book appropriately gears itself toward beginners and intermediates and includes "reference" style information for advanced users. Lots of tutorials hit the spot.

However there are two collections of plug-ins on the accompanying CD-ROM that look awesome except for one thing, virtually all of them pull up conflict messages during 3DSM start-up. Page 1023 confesses that the plug-ins were designed for Release 2 and had not been updated to work in Release 3. I tried several approaches to installing the plug-ins including isolating them to an "aftermarket" folder (yes, I updated Path Configuration). As they say in the Navy - no joy.

I scoured the IDG Books web site in search of an errata or updated plug-ins without any luck.

On the up-side the CD also includes boatloads of models for use with the tutorials.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Keep shopping..., June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Studio MAX® R3 Bible (Paperback)

If like me you have come to expect a lot from the "Bible" series of books from IDG you might be disappointed too. Expecting any book of 1100+ pages to be 100% comprehensive (as the cover states) is a bit optimistic, particularly in the case of this one. Believe me, Mr. Murdock is no Deke McClelland; so don't expect any clever writing to break the monotony here. The tutorials are sketchy and wimpy. You'll learn more with a ...copy of Matossian's Visual Quickstart and various on-line tutorials.