3ds max 4 Media Animation [Paperback]

John Chismar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2001

In 3ds max 4 Media Animation, John Chismar has done it again <196> only better! Following the lead of his highly acclaimed book 3D Studio Max 3 Media Animation, John uses three professionally designed projects to show readers the ins and outs of animation media for broadcast. The clarity of John¿s instructions, the efficiency of his processes, and the quality of his projects are sure to make this book a success with animators and educators alike. The book concludes with the deconstruction of three projects John created this year as the Senior 3D animator for MSNBC.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Unlike many books trying to cover all things Max, 3ds max 4 Media Animation focuses on a specific use of the popular animation system from Discreet: creating opening graphics and logo animation for video.

The book assumes the reader has some experience using Max, and in creating animation for video. It focuses on the design and production of six different animated openings, and three of those are real-world on-the-air clips from networks like MSNBC and NBC News.

Four main sections of the book cover the projects step by step. No sections take the user on a tour of the interface, and there is no history of computer graphics. Instead, each chapter methodically describes only the steps involved in creating each particular project. If you've used Max and know the difference between a viewport and a roll-out, this book is for you.

There are plenty of details to absorb, since each project is fairly complex. The "Funhouse" tutorial is more about lighting and texturing, with some emphasis on modeling. The "Voting Machine" project is mostly about modeling, while the "News Open" project is a combination of lighting and effects. Each chapter is liberally illustrated and clearly written.

While many animators despise the idea of having to create yet another flying logo, many more have already embraced this genre and have realized that a comfortable living can be made as a talented motion graphics designer, as long as your work stands out from the crowd. It is far more difficult to design and execute an attractive motion graphics opening than you think, and if you haven't yet done it, 3ds max 4 Media Animation is a good place to start. --Mike Caputo

From the Back Cover

In 3ds max 4 Media Animation, John Chismar has done it again – only better! Following the lead of his highly acclaimed book 3D Studio Max 3 Media Animation, John uses three professionally designed projects to show readers the ins and outs of animation media for broadcast. The clarity of John's instructions, the efficiency of his processes, and the quality of his projects are sure to make this book a success with animators and educators alike. The book concludes with the deconstruction of three projects John created this year as the Senior 3D animator for MSNBC.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press (June 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735710597
• ISBN-13: 978-0735710597
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,131,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner, August 17, 2001

By 

Frank E. Lancaster "North Harbour Graphics" (Victoria, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3ds max 4 Media Animation (Paperback)

"Another Winner" (for ISBN 0-7357-1059-7)

In his latest "3ds max 4 Media Animation" book, award winning animator John P. Chismar demonstrates once again that not only is he extremely skilled in the use of 3D Studio MAX, he is also a superb communicator and teacher, and is able to transfer effectively his knowledge to others.

There are several features that move his book to the front of the pack and make it one that most MAX users will truly enjoy. To begin, the projects are fun, and that's important when you're learning new techniques. When you reach the end of a section, the results of your efforts should demonstrate not only what it is hoped you've just learned, but also verify the professional skills of your instructor. In every chapter, it's obvious that the author has paid a great deal of attention to the small details that make the reader's life easier. Step-by-step instructions are meticulously designed, and complimented by an abundant collection of screen shots that ease you through procedures that otherwise would appear extremely complicated.....allowing you to focus on learning and creating, rather than wasting time trying to guess what is required to complete each step. Repeating a procedure several times during the course of a project is an effective technique for `painless' learning, and more useful than simply studying a manual, and the author utilizes this approach to great advantage. While this would appear to be a logical idea in any book of tutorials, the author has mastered this art better than most. This is not a book for theorists, but one for those who wish to expand their practical knowledge. In addition, maps, sound files, and everything related to the project, except MAX and the will to learn, are provided on the CD that accompanies the book, so the reader can focus entirely on the tutorials and not spend time creating maps and audio files.

After a number of years of working with 3D Studio MAX, I feel reasonably comfortable with the program and can usually generate what I require. Why then would I be interested in purchasing another book of tutorials? The answers to that question are simple. First, I don't work in media animation, but it's something we see everyday and most MAX enthusiasts I know are always eager to expand their horizons and learn new or different things. The author takes the reader into his world, and, after only a few hours of working on one of his projects, one begins to appreciate what a fascinating world it is. Second, if one works somewhat independently most of the time, it's often easy to acquire sloppy habits such as moving the mouse to a menu instead of right clicking or not using an appropriate key stroke. I'll admit that I'm guilty of this sometimes. Working through one of John's books helps me improve my efficiency, and rediscover better ways to approach a project. Often there are several paths one can follow to accomplish the same goal in MAX, and because the program has so many features that improve and evolve on an ongoing basis, constant diligence is required to remain efficient. Most MAX users will probably agree that they would benefit from a little `tune-up' once in awhile. One painless way to achieve this goal, improve upon or sharpen your techniques or refine the way you work, have fun and learn something new is to follow the carefully laid out and well designed instructions in "3d studio max 4 Media Animation".

I've mentioned some of the things that, in my opinion, are beneficial for the intermediate to advanced user, but is this book for the absolute beginner? The answer is yes and no. The author's instructions are extremely clear and well written and probably most MAX users could follow them successfully, but still, it would probably be to one's advantage to at least have had some basic experience with the program before attempting some of the more complex projects. I expect that the user who will benefit most from the book will probably be at the intermediate level, but there really is something in it for everyone who owns MAX.

One small warning.....the book was written for MAX 4.0 and everything works well if you have installed versions 4.0, 4.01 or 4.02. However, if you've already upgraded to MAX 4.2. you may run into a few problems when attempting a video post rendering. In fact, I reverted back to MAX 4.02 when I couldn't get the Funhouse scene (Project #1) to render in video post without crashing. The bug, present in version 4.2 but not in previous versions, appears related to the use of VP glow and rendering while using a background image in the Environment slot. Remove the image, and all functions normally. But it must be stressed again that this is a little MAX problem, and not one that should be attributed to the author.

The first book in the series was excellent but, as New Riders reported, this one is even better. It is seldom one can recommend a book without hesitation, but this is one of those times. Buy it, enjoy it, learn, polish your skills, and have fun. I've discovered several good books (and some not so good) related to 3D Studio MAX over the years, but the books written by John P. Chismar, and also Jon Bell's f/x series, remain at the top of my list of favorites.

........................................Frank E. Lancaster

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Benchmark for All Tutorial-Style Computer Text Books, June 13, 2002

By 

Russell Brooks "iq-9" (North Wales, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3ds max 4 Media Animation (Paperback)

This book is a fantastic example of how all computer text books should be structured - Step-by-step tutorials that demonstrate experienced solutions to real-world projects. I know I speak for many people when I say that I learn by DOING, not by reading paragraphs upon paragraphs of text and lengthy descriptions of "what this app can do for you". No one likes to attempt to digest a "features description" manual and try to piece together the various complexities of a high-end application like 3DS MAX from various disjointed sources. I need a seasoned, talented professional, with years of industry experience, to step me through exactly how an application performs various industry tasks, e.g. how to make a 30-second TV spot from scratch, how to make a highly-professional News program opener, or how to make robotic-looking voting machines animated together in a 3-camera shoot. John Chrismar performs this tasks with a detail and finesse that is extremely hard to find in the computer textbook industry. I look for this style in every computer book I pick up, but don't often find it, if at all. The industry giants on the programming side of the industry, like Wrox Press, should use John's book as an example of how to write an effective computer textbook. Don't waste my time with information overload, stuffed together losely by a quasi-team of 6 geeks. SHOW ME how you solved a problem with the application or programming language, from start to finish, while I follow along, bit by bit, line by line, click by click. Show me how to build a genuine and valuable creation using the tool you are teaching me to use. This is exactly what John does.

I started with the last of three tutorials and worked backward through the book, because the News Program Opener tutorial looked the most intriguing. I learned more about 3DS MAX after that one tutorial then I had by reading the documentation or from any of the other three 3DS MAX books I own. I saw someone else mention that there were some small mistakes and missed "figure" numbers on the screenshots here and there, but this did not detract from completing the tutorials in the slightest. Two extra seconds of thought got me passed these minor editing oversights very easily, and they were very minor in comparison to most computer textbooks.

It was beyond refreshing to witness and practice along with a professional at work from beginning to end: from importing your vectors from Illustrator, to cleaning up the splines, to extruding, modelling each piece, assembling, naming conventions, creating materials, shortcuts, to animating, adding a soundtrack, right down to post-production and final render. I absolutely can not stand books where Step 1 is "Import our half-finished Design #643.2 from our accompanying CD-ROM". Not the case with this book. You are stepped through the process, end to end. When you are done with each tutorial, you have a finished work of media art THAT YOU CREATED and a head full of usable, retainable 3DS MAX knowledge that can be carried into any job or hobby.

Excellent job, John. You have gained a new fan. I will purchase your other books, regardless of topic. :D

Thank you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reference..., March 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 3ds max 4 Media Animation (Paperback)

About two weeks ago I purchased John Chrismar's "Media Animation" book, and I must say that I am very impressed with this book. Having completed the three projects, and am now reviewing the final real world case studies, I think I'll toss in my two cents worth here. Maybe this will be useful for the next guy, maybe not.

This book appears to be geared for the beginner to intermediately skilled 3ds max user (perhaps with an emphasis towards intermediate). The first tutorial (Funhouse billboard) covers most of the basics. While I already new most of the stuff covered here, I did learn a few handy tips and tricks I hadn't known before. You get exposed to just about all of the basics that become the foundation for the rest of the book in this tutorial. The final animation was pretty cool, although the sound track that went with it made me want to barf. Oh well, its the learning that matters.

The second tutorial (Vote:2000) was in some ways simpler than the first although it had some interesting material editor stuff that I found very handy. Learning the use of DOF was cool although it bogged down my machine rendering for quite awhile. The final product was a cool animation with a nice soundtrack (I wouldn't be embarrassed to show this to my friends).

The third (and best IMO) tutorial was the TV3 News Open. Now here's where the book really earned its price. An excellent walkthough on pro looking logo development. Excellent workflow with lots of good pointers on using the material editor and video post to pull off some very nice looking stuff. I learned alot in this one, stuff thats hard to pull out of your 3ds max manuals. I wish the whole book had more stuff like this one.

There are a few points which are not so great and deserve a small amount of attention.
1. Many of the illustrations are not correct in this book. The text will say something like "... as shown in figure x.xx". Then you look at figure x.xx and it has an image of something else altogether. Looks like some proofing problems here. If you're the type who DEPENDS on illustrations, you might get a bit frustrated. This happens quite a bit in this book. If you're already somewhat experienced with max then this probably won't be a big problem, more of an annoyance since the text is very accurate.

2. I had some problems with the Funhouse video post glow. This however is not the authors fault. Once the glow is applied and you try to render the scene, max has a fatal error everytime. It appears to be a problem with max 4.2x. I had to re-install max 4.0 to get this tutorial done. The basic problem appears to be between the enviornment map and the video post glow effect. If you have a map in the enviornment map slot and then use the video post glow, the error occurs pretty reliably. Take out either the map or glow and everything works fine. So if you're using max 4.2x then you'll want to either downgrade or ditch one of the effects. Like I said tho, this isn't Chrismar's fault. Those guys at Discreet have to get this one handled.

3. Overall when I bought the book I thought I was getting tutorials more like the TV3 News Open. Being already somewhat experienced, I was a bit dissapointed with the first two tutorials. I think the Real World Case Studies could have been better explored. However I do also realize that what you learn in the first 3 tutorials gives you the basic tools to create something *like* the real world case studies. So this is more of a gripe than a fault of the book. I felt a little "deceived" by the pictures on the back of the book.

Overall Impressions:
This book rocks, gripes aside which is why I give it 5 stars. John's approach is very direct and thorough. No missing steps that I could find which is why I think the illustrations being mixed up isn't so bad. John accurately describes all of the steps and discusses the uses of various tools and also good workflow habits in a very useful way. I learned alot as a result of this book. Clearly, this guys is a top quality animator. This book is a must have for anyone's reference and I have absolutely NO REGRETS about this purchase.

I hope that Chrismar finds the time to do another book for intermediate to advanced users. I will definitely be buying it. Thanks for the great book John!