Customer Reviews

3ds Max 9 Essentials: Autodesk Media and Entertainment Courseware

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've used Carrera since it was Ray Dream and it was time for me to graduate. I tried Maya and didn't like the interface or maybe it was the books that described how to use the interface, nevertheless, I thought I would look at 3ds Max. The way I learn best is by doing and although the help menu contains the information, it doesn't have it in a form that is useful to me except as an after the fact, hunt and search type of reference.

This was one of the few books that I've used from cover to cover. It was clear, well laid out and error free. It takes you through using 3ds to make 3d scenes in a clear and concise manner. The three reference manuals for 3ds Max are 1358, 1840 and 1128 pages respectively. This book is only a little over 600 pages, so, no, it won't tell you everything there is to know about 3ds Max but as the title suggests, if you want to know the "3ds Max Essentials", and if you learn best by doing, I would highly recommend this book.

This is the kind of book that makes me want to sit down and write my own book, perhaps one that is actually useful to people that are trying to learn something that is not already in the help documents that ship with the software. Page after page of this book was just a summary of 3ds Max's help file. There was no information that was specific to 3ds max 9, this book could just as well been titled "3ds max 6-9 Essentials". No new features, just the same old "So your new to 3d" junk that we have seen published a thousand times. How bout the new Fur/Hair engine, Mental Ray improvements, workflow changes, ANYTHING USEFUL? Save your money and read the help files located at the top of 3ds Max 9...you've already paid for that.

Well, due to the reviews here, I was at first not going to purchase this book, but then I found it at the library,looked thru it and found some things I wouldnt have known about, unless I looked thru every bit of Max help....(Thats going to happen!) :-P That, and I do like having the page in front of me due to one screen usage,,If you have multiple screens, the online help may work for you,,,

I give it a 3-1/2..if it was in color, it would be nicer,but the graphics are quite nice,,and it is helping me out quite nicely!! (Already speeding up my animation process! )

As a new student and program user, I find that 3ds Max 9 Essentials is an outstanding book to start with in 3d modeling and animation. The chapters are well organized as well as the companion CD, making hands on use easy to incorporate with each lession. This book develops a strong foundation for those who plan to move on into either the 3d modeling or animation areas. One important item that needs to be taken into consideration is the need for the Autodesk 3d Max software (2009), which has a 30 day free trial available to download online.

When I opened this book to Chapter one,I then had some doubt if this book was not a good book. But I soon learned that this was very effective book. Each lesson gives you precise explanation as to how to handle software on different level of development. Indeed, learning 3ds Mas is very very difficult. But this book opens up the way for leading you into
most effective tutorial process. Besides, each pictorial illustration on each lesson is geometrically shown for learner's convenience.
I used to rate never more than good books I had purchased before but I can difinitely say that 3ds Max should be rated more than excellent.
Before I conclude my opinion, let me add this. I once attended free-trial
3ds Max lesson provided by courtesy of Autodesk Company in Japan.
This trial lesson was very good but I feel this book can give you more detailed explanation and perhaps answer your long-held question in a very precise manner. By the time you have finished reading combined with your computer handling of the software, you will have become a expert on 3dx Max.
Hidemasa Yamaguchi

In my opinion, I think this book is fantastic. You might be able to find the tips, tricks and shortcuts in the help documentation, but only if you know what to look for in the first place. The book is not simply a printout of the help files. It is full of useful information, helpful advice and tutorials that actually help you to learn 3ds Max. Max is a complicated program when you transition from simple modeling to particles, scripts, rigging, animation, etc. This book dives right in and helps you out every step of the way. It teaches good workflow and I consider it to be an invaluable resource.

I am using the trail version 10 of 3ds Max and out of all the books I bought to get me started, 3ds Max 9 Essentials is the best one so far...Other books will miss some instruction and u have to figure out or go to different books to see if you can make head or tails of what some books are trying ton convey. Essentials is really a blessing. People that are just starting out with doing 3-D will probably need more then one book to learn it, I have several, but this one "hits the spot" I have one more ordered, and that should satisfy me. If I had bought Essential first, I probably would not need to buy all the books that I have with the exception of 3-Ds Max 9 Bible, which is a large book with plenty of pages, but even that, it is not as good as this Essential book.

This book had me in control of 3ds Max in no time, and what's more, it had me understanding why I was in control. It is clearly illustrated, well paced and gives an excellent grounding. After having wasted hours on the 3ds max 'bible' I tried the 'essentials', and can highly recommend it as an effective self-teaching tool.

If you're new to 3ds Max and are looking for a book written primarily for beginners, Essentials serves as a pretty good selection. It offers easy to understand step by step tutorials that take you through the majority of the production process. Also includes a few projects for Intermediate users. Not a bad addition when building your 3ds Max home library.

This book is a reflection of the program it 'teaches,' namely out-of-date and growing quickly obsolete especially since Autodesk makes Maya and offers it for both Mac and Windows (3DS Max is only PC, an ungainly setup at best). 3DS Max's interface is convoluted, clunky, and the book is way too thin on explanation of even basic 3D Modeling concepts. Here's a quick hint: if you flip to the index section of a beginner's book on 3d modeling and don't even see things like "NURBS," "Sweep NURBS," and it mentions in the chapters concepts like Loft creation that then are used to create geometric basics like a screwdriver (as opposed to a more irregular, organic shape...like what nearly 99% of Loft NURBS are used for in reality), then put the book down and go find another program. Cinema 4D, Maya, Rhino, even Bryce 3D or Poser or SketchUp are better novice introductions to 3D modeling than this program or this book. Steer far and clear of this system. Find something that is just as or more affordable and can work on any system and has an interface that doesn't take ten minutes of hunting (even WITH this 'helpful text') just to do a simple boolean operation.