3DS Max 4 In Depth [Paperback]

Jon McFarland (Author), Rob Polevoi (Author)

Book Description

Series: In Depth Series | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Provides readers with a comprehensive reference for creating effects for film, movies, and games. This book covers the modeling and modification of structures from primitive objects, plus other parametric design tools found in the program. and contains various projects to strengthen concepts learned with a color studio to showcase the results. CD-ROM is included with maps or clips needed for each exercise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written for the artist new to 3ds max, 3ds max 4 in Depth presents the application from the ground up, starting with interface basics and continuing on through project construction to final rendering.

Overall, the book presents much of the same information in the manuals, although it uses more examples and screen shots, and the authors write with a more open voice. The enclosed CD-ROM includes all the project files and source material needed for the exercises in the book, and the color plate gallery offers some inspiring images.

Twenty-one chapters divided into six parts open up 3ds max 4 in Depth in a way that any beginner can understand. "The Big Picture" and "Working in Max" offer overviews of the computer graphics field and how Max works, while "Modeling," "Materials and Textures," "Lights, Camera, Render," and "Animation" offer specific chapters on their respective topics.

A favorite chapter, "Working Smart," closes the second section. It includes information not normally found in books of the genre, such as modeling using instancing and clones, using the Mirror and Snapshot tools, aligning objects, and other tips and tricks for working efficiently. Analyzing scenes and objects using tools like Summary Info, ideal for determining where to trim scenes or alter models, is also covered.

This is a thorough and understandable book, lacking only in-depth information on Max's programming language, MAXScript, which is worthy of a book of its own. For artists new to 3ds max 4, and especially those new to 3ds max, 3ds max 4 in Depth makes a fine handbook and addition to a powerful program. --Mike Caputo --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jon McFarland manages the design department at a property development company, where he uses AutoCAD and VIZ to create visualizations of proposed facility construction and expansions. He also teaches AutoCAD, VIZ, and 3ds Max courses at the university level.

Polevoi teaches animation and computer graphics at Cogswell College, and is the creator and host of Webreference.com, a destination for digital graphic artist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Paraglyph Press; Pap/Cdr edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932111506
• ISBN-13: 978-1932111507
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,709,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon McFarland manages the design department for a national owner/developer of real estate property and retail offices. In addition, Jon teaches and works as technical editor of 3ds max(TM) 4 for colleges and businesses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic MAX book, June 21, 2001

By 

Jason Finch (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3ds max 4 in Depth (Paperback)

3ds max 4 In Depth should be your learning tool of choice for 3ds max 4! Rather than just listing a sequence of buttons to push and values to input, the authors explain the tools then follow up with clearly written exercises. This is the way to learn such an immense program. Many of images shown in the color section are simply amazing. I knew a little MAX before, but this book is stretching my abilities to their extents.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good solid book for non beginners, June 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 3ds max 4 in Depth (Paperback)

If your stuck in the place were your not a newbie anymore but you haven't found that next rung in the ladder towards becoming a serious 3D artist, this is the book for you. Authors do a great job at explaining the steps in each project and the applications of the stuff learned from each really jump starts other projects that you may be working on. More illustration and pictures would have been nice though.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stuff you can use in a way you can understand, April 5, 2002

By 

bobthelabmonkey (West Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3ds max 4 in Depth (Paperback)

If you're looking for specific tutorials to get the more out of specific tools in MAX this may not be the book for you. But if you are like me and just entering the 3D graphics field, this book is invaluable. In Depth has goes into the subtle nuance of 3DS MAX that you won't find in other books or tutorials. It explains the means to the end. Rather then teaching a specific goal, it gives you comprehensive knowledge of MAX that you can apply your 3d scenes. You may not end up with a nifty 'hey-look-at-what-can-be-made-in-max' scene, but you'll have an comprhensive understanding of the tools and how to apply it to any scene. Basically you learn what the hell all the features are and how the hell to use them. It gives you an 'in depth' comprehensive knowledge of said features to apply to a broad ranges of situations rather than a way to use whatever tool to apply to a situation you may never even encounter. I think it's my best peice of reference I have on my shelf, but if you already have a fairly good understanding of all the features of 3D with MAX it may not be worth the investment. I can almost gurantee you'll learn SOMETHING you didn't know, but if you're already very experienced it may not be worth the overhead. To sum it up, if you're new to 3D and to MAX this book will teach you all the skills you need to be cool, but people with a fairly extensive knowledge may want to look to more specialized book specific to your needs. However, if you've got the money to spare there's at least something in there for you.