3ds Max Animation with Biped [Paperback]

Michele Bousquet (Author), Michael McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321375726 | ISBN-13: 978-0321375728 | Publication Date: March 19, 2006

3ds Max is a leader in 3D animation for game development, design visualization, and visual effects and enables users to outperform the competition when it comes to high-volume visual effects production. From 3D storyboards and digital matte paintings to realistic digital environments, believable characters, and impressive crowds, this all-in-one software is professional and fast! The powerful Biped module in 3ds Max 8, with pre-linked and realistically constrained skeletons and its suite of motion tools, dramatically speeds up the animation process. In this book and accompanying CD, author and award-winning animators Michele Bousquet and Michael McCarthy look at the Biped, Physique, Crowd, and Motion Mixer tools and demonstrate how to animate character models quickly. They start with the basics of Biped, and then move on to footstep animation, freeform animation and the use of crowd behavior simulation tools. Readers will also learn how to use all the new tools of Motion Mixer for mixing motion files, and the Workbench for adjusting biped function curves, and learn specific animation techniques, including how to adjust physique for perfect deformation, fit a biped to any character model, create realistic motions, combine motions on any character, create crowd scenes automatically, and more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michele Bousquet, an Autodesk Certified Trainer, has been using Biped and Character Studio since its first release. She is the author of Model, Rig, Animate! with 3ds max 7 and Animation with Character Studio 3. Michael McCarthy is an accomplished 3D artist and animator. His skills in the 3D field are largely derived from many years of painting and drawing. Character animation is one of Michael's passions and he enjoys the study of motion. Michael is very involved in teaching 3D art in the classroom, in books, and with training DVD's.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press (March 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321375726
• ISBN-13: 978-0321375728
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Robotics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good for begineer only, January 18, 2007

By 

D. K. Moore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3ds Max Animation with Biped (Paperback)

I had a little biped experience before reading this book and have learnt nothing new from it. Only buy if you are a complete beginner. Nicely laid out, clear and well explained.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book!, July 27, 2010

By 

Zap Zhong "Zap" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 3ds Max Animation with Biped (Paperback)

Like other reviewers say, a lot of the 3ds Max books leave a lot to be desired.. but this one is truly exceptional. The lessons are well articulated and the tutorials have all the steps explained. The only cautionary points i would make are 1) the book was written for 3ds Max 8 so it is aging a little and 2) to follow along you will need to know the 3ds Max interface already.. the book assumes a basic knowledge of Max... so if you are a total Max beginner, you should start with something else.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but just Technical Info..., April 7, 2008

By 

Robert N. Bowen (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 3ds Max Animation with Biped (Paperback)

This book was exactly what I was looking for. It had detailed instructions for how to perform nearly every task in Character Studio (now just called the biped system in 3DS MAX). It's not going to have anything conceptual in it.

If you want a comprehensive animation guide, you need to get the animation bible (The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion, and Internet Animators) in addition to this. Make sure you know everything about squash and stretch, anticipation, etc. Come to think of it, start with the book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (you can find a lot of this info online, because it's so old, but it's good to have it when you're not on the interwebs as well).

Actually, you can start with whatever excites you most, but you won't get anywhere interesting without the foundational concepts in these two other books. They apply to even the realistic kinds of animation you see in action movies. In fact if you're going to Mo-Cap everything you ever do, you should still know them.