Harnessing 3ds max 5 [Paperback]

Aaron F Ross (Author), Michele Bousquet (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1401827551 | ISBN-13: 978-1401827557 | Publication Date: April 4, 2003 | Edition: 2

Harness the power of 3ds max 5! Harnessing 3ds max 5 is the perfect tool for learning the world?s most popular 3D graphics program. The authors lead you through the complex world of 3ds max step by step, so you?ll build experience and confidence as you progress through the book. Clear and concise explanations, ample illustrations, and easy-to-follow tutorials make Harnessing 3ds max 5 the ideal choice for users of computer graphics, both inside and outside the classroom. This book gives a practical introduction to 3ds max, and provides many real-world examples of its most powerful features. When you finish this book, you will be able to: ? understand concepts of computer graphics and 3D space ? navigate effortlessly through the 3ds max interface ? use powerful modeling techniques ? design natural-looking materials ? use lighting to affect the look of your scene ? control virtual cameras ? animate with forward and inverse kinematics ? create special effects with particles, atmospheres, and Render Effects 3ds max 5 has many new features to create high-end 3D graphics and animation. This book covers many of these new tools, including: ? incredible modeling tools within the Editable Poly object ? Set Key interface for greater animation control ? better animation editing with the Dope Sheet and Curve Editor ? improved character setup with Skin and Bones ? photo-realistic Advanced Lighting ? Ink ?n Paint material for quality renderings of cartoons and line drawings

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aaron Ross is part of the Computer Animation and Multimedia Faculty, the Art Institute of California at San Francisco. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, School of Film/Video. Aaron is also a member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Aaron Ross has exhibited video and computer graphic works at festivals and arts venues, including SIGGRAPH, Prix Ars Electronica, International Symposium on Electronic Art, Berlin Interfilm, San Francisco Exploratorium, and San Francisco Cinematheque

Aaron Ross' computer animations have been screened on many major networks, including ABC, NBC, CNN, Fox News

Michele Bousquet
Owner, Many Worlds Productions, an online shop specializing in hard-to-find
items for 3D Studio MAX and Character Studio users.

Graduate of McGill University, 1983, computer science
Winner of Big Kahuna 2000 award in training/education

Product Details

• Paperback: 912 pages
• Publisher: Autodesk Press; 2 edition (April 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401827551
• ISBN-13: 978-1401827557
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,903,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very clear, well-written book., May 10, 2003

By 

xianatro (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harnessing 3ds max 5 (Paperback)

Though not necessarily meant for the advanced user, this book should prove invaluable for those new to 3DS Max, whether you're just starting out or you're moving over from another 3D toolset and need to get up to speed. I think the way it's written and laid out would make it particularly useful in a classroom setting. I have a couple of similar books that sort of walk you through the steps of their tutorials without going over the actual reasoning for their approach. But instead, the authors of this book explain very clearly not only how to go about creating something, but more importantly *why* it is done that way, leaving the reader with a much deeper understanding of the subject. A very well thought out book. I'd say look no further.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harnessing 3ds max 5, June 6, 2003

By 

erik turchin (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harnessing 3ds max 5 (Paperback)

I have read many software books. Most are good, some are great. This one is great. 3D Max is one of the hardest programs to master. This book will give you the power to create and animate anything your mind can imagine with jaw-dropping results. With 3D Max, its all about mastering the exhaustive list of toolsets, modifiers, and other utilities this program is jam-packed with. This book makes it all happen. Surprisingly easy to read, you will finish this book with a full arsenal of methods and techniques that may be strong enough to land you an entry level job. As with all instructional books, if you are motivated, and tackle the material with 100% effort, you will not be disappointed with "Harnessing 3ds max 5."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ever, October 23, 2003

By 

Max (Concord, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harnessing 3ds max 5 (Paperback)

Just recently, I started to get into 3D design. For past 2 months I worked in Plasma since it was a slimmed down version of 3ds Max. Then finally, I decided to learn it and dig deeper into the program. Without prior experience it was a little hard for me so I bought this book. From the start, I can see how valuable this book is. I read all the posts above and they were dead on. Also, they were part of the reason I picked up this book. The author really explains the 3D design in detail which is very easy to understand for a person who is just starting out. As I only read close to 100 pages of the book, I already feel like I can get around the program lot easier. Not only the techniquest are explained, but also, why things happen and work the way they do. If you have graphic - web design experience and can get around Photoshop, armed with this book and 3dsMax, you will be able to desing some mean layouts. Simply said: The best 42 bucks I spend on a book. GO AND BUY IT! Oh yeah, the book comes with CDROM which includes excersizes for EACH chapter along with AVI movies!!!