Customer Reviews

Harnessing 3D Studio MAX Release 3

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a professor of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute, and teach 3D Studio along side a CAD program for product development and visualization. It is impossible in this curriculum to teach 3D Studio in a comprehensive manner. I have been using Harnessing 3d Studio Max to enhance my teaching and allow the interested student to learn beyond the course work. I have found this book to be an excellent self-teaching book, written in an easy to follow language, with appropriate examples and step-by-step construction techniques. A thorough contents page allows you to find previously read sections, making this book a frequent reference. Michelle writes in a human voice, anticipating the many questions of the new user. I have enjoyed the book to further my own understanding of the program and to learn techniques that have previously escaped me. I recommend this text to anyone learning 3D Studio Max on their own.

If you are a 3DSTUDIO MAX user with over a weeks experince this book is not for you. This book is very very basic interms of examples and explenations as the Fundamentals book released last August. The back cover suggest tutorials for intermediate to advanced. An example of this is the tornado scene. It merely looks like a fade in the paper, resembling nothign of a tornado. The sunset scene tutorial is the basic tutorial floating around the web since the release of 3DStudio MAX release 1.2. Overall I have ot rate this book low because the other dozen max3 books to date has far exceeded this book in quality of its teachings.

As a new user to 3d Studio Max, I had previously purchased 3d Studio Max Workshop and made it half way through the book but lost interest since I found the workshop model that you follow through the entire book to be completely uninspiring for me despite the positive reviews of that book. After a few days of not wanting to open Max on my pc and feeling pretty defeated, I borrowed Harnessing 3d Studio Max 3 from a friend and now don't want to return it. The book must be read from the beginning to the end since the tutorials build from previous chapters. I savored every word and found there was a tutorial every 2-3 pages. I loved the book and now after 800 pages feel like I can move around Max with some confidence and am better able to look for more advanced books that will focus on specifically what I want to accomplish with Max. The book is written as though it's a course book for teaching Max to students. The book's forward says there is a companion workbook you can order through AutoDesk Press that expands on the chapter tutorials. I would definitely would like that. It is definitely a beginners book but if you have been frustrated with Max and are willing to spend some time with a 800 page book I would definitely recommend this book!

I've been looking for an informative, yet inexpensive book that can be used in both begining and advanced levels of instruction. This book is an EXCELLENT introductory book that is easy to follow. The tutorials WORK for beginners! I can't say that about many of the other Max books out there. The book also provides my secondary students with an excellent resource for procedures once learned and momentarily forgotten. This wealth of information combined with an affordable price make this book a must have for new Max users! I'll be using it in all the Max classes I teach.

Being a first time user of 3D Studio I have found this book invaluable in getting started. The book itself is well laid out starting with the basics and evolving slowly into more complex applications of 3D Studio.

I highly recommend this book to people who are just starting out with 3D Studio as it is easy to read (no big complex explanations), easy to follow step-by-step directions and comes with a comprehensive add-on CD.

A definite must read if you want to learn 3D Studio

Unlike my multimedia professors, this book teaches clearly, in a way that I, the student, can absorb and retain the information!

Never having taken any 3D classes, first, I gathered a heavy stack of 3D Max 3 books at the bookstore and plopped down on the floor. I took my time browsing through the first chapter of each book to get an idea of what would happen once home when I crack the tutorials open and test drive them. Would they be difficult or easy to follow?

Harnessing wasn't the prettiest book, but it's what's on the inside that counts. I decided to spend my money on Harnessing for a few key reasons.

The information before the first tutorial focussed on practicality - jobs in the field. That's what I'm talkin''bout! I don't want to just do this for hobby, but as a student, target my specific area of interest to enter this field to profit.

The other deciding factor was the simplistic tutorial approach. Each sentence of instructions tells you where to look for the tool PLUS gives an illustrated icon of the tool you're looking for! A beginner like me can NOT go wrong.

The author seems to understand that 3D Max newbies will be anxious to jump in, so the first tutorial allows us to get that out of our systems by doing some basics. Then the tutorials begin to build, and you begin to learn. But the learning isn't so wordy you're looking for the "Next Tutorial - 2 Miles Ahead" sign. It's a nice balance of technical insight and hands-on.

I haven't even opened the accomanying CD, yet I am sold on this book. It's harder to put down than a best-selling novel! But I have to put it down because I have homework.

If you can't tell, I highly reccomend this book!

I had attempted to learn 3DS on my own for a few years with no luck. I was about to give up after purchasing several books and finding them incomprehensible. Then I found "Harnessing 3d Studio Max", it helped me see the light for the first time. Thanks Michele!!

I found the book to be a great learning tool for beginners. I have read other books that have you doing particle systems by the middle of the first chapter which can be confusing to novices. The book goes in a very logical manner the goes with the normal workflow you go through to create a 3D scene. The examples are easy to understand and actually work! This book may be a little basic for advanced users but there are things that everyone can learn from in the book.

Just learning 3d Studio Max? Michele's book is for you! Easy to read, thorough, a great foundation for understanding a quite complex program.

I admit that I am not the worlds best in 3DS Max. I have tried NUMEROUS books and found little use, some assumed you were an overall expert or a total [beginner].

This book, by far, teaches in high detail step-for-step on how to surpass the learning curve and get into a comfort zone using 3D Studio Max.

NEVER have I read a book that takes you from the beginner level to the semi-advanced level with so much detail and explanation. The author, Michele Bousquet, seems to have much experience in teaching this software because I was able to follow the tutorials and feel confident in doing so. I hope she writes another book for 3DS Max 4.