Learning Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 Foundation [Paperback]

Autodesk (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240809270 | ISBN-13: 978-0240809274 | Publication Date: November 26, 2007 | Edition: 1

Learning Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2008 | Foundation is your shortcut to learning 3ds Max quickly and effectively. You'll get hands-on experience with the key tools and techniques through easy-to-follow, step-by-step project-based lessons, while learning to model, animate, apply materials and render in both the games & design visualization pipelines. By the end of the book you'll have a sense of the entire production process as you work on real-life production examples.

Whether you're a game artist or a graphic artist, Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2008 has the tools you need to succeed.

Game Artists will gain in-depth knowledge of the world-class Biped character animation toolset, unparalleled polygon modeling and texturing workflow.

Design Visualization Specialists such as architects, designers, and graphic artists, will gain the power to visually inform the design process through conceptual exploration, design validation and visual communication.

Bonus features included on DVD:
. Link to a 30-day trial of Autodesk® 3ds Max® software
. Bonus short films and new software feature demos
. Autodesk 3ds Max hotkeys reference guide
. Free models from Turbo Squid worth $160
. Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2008

* An all-access pass to the production and teaching experience of Autodesk's training experts

* Concept-driven lessons, fully illustrated in color, teach you the essentials of using 3ds Max 2008 so you can master the techniques of animation, modeling, materials, lighting and rendering

* DVD includes instructor led videos, support files and movies as well as interviews with contributing artists and FREE models from Turbo Squid worth US $160!

With this official Autodesk training guide, you will also:
. Learn about the user interface (UI) and work in 3D space
. Learn about animation basics and key frame animation
. Character modeling with editable poly
. Create rigs with biped
. Make morph targets with paint tools
. Learn about unwrapping UVs
. Learn about motion mixer workflow
. Understand & animate cameras
. Learn about light types and advanced lighting techniques
. Rendering Techniques & Tools (mental ray & Render Effect)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Autodesk's Media and Entertainment division produces award-winning software tools designed for digital media creation, management and delivery across all disciplines: from film and television visual effects, color grading and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive, and design visualization. Autodesk Media and Entertainment is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (November 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240809270
• ISBN-13: 978-0240809274
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,164,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning 3dsMax, April 7, 2008

By 

V. King (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Learning Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 Foundation (Paperback)

Sometimes a bit challenging to follow, but that is the fun of learning! When you finally work through it...it is great fun. The process is really good in how it slowly begins to take you through the processes of learning the ins and outs. It can be a bit frustrating in that you don't want to mess up a project step...because each tutorial leads into the next...but if it gets too bad...the accompanying DVD allows you to get back on track.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference for Character Design & Animation, October 28, 2009

By 

Drew Snyder (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Learning Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 Foundation (Paperback)

I've been teaching 3DS Max since version 7 and this book is the only 3DS Max book I have come across that actually does a good job showing the entire process of modeling, texturing, rigging, skinning, and animating a game character in Max. The last book to provide this level of detail was Professional Short Films with Autodesk 3ds Max (Graphics Series)which was published in 2006 and does an excellent job going over all the details of setting up and animating a rig by hand - it doesn't mention Biped, Motion Mixer, and Motion Capture.

So if you are looking for a book that actually gives you all the step to creating a simple character and animating it in Max, this book is for you. There are a lot of books at there that do a good job showing how to model a character such as 3ds Max Modeling for Games: Insider's Guide to Game Character, Vehicle, and Environment Modeling, but that is where almost all of them stop. For character rigging and animation, you are lucky to find a superficial tutorial about character animation crammed into a chapter of a general intro to 3DS Book or you have to suffer through one of the cryptic Autodesk Help files or tutorials.

There are some really good game character books out there, but all of them seems to be for Maya. There is definately a need for someone to write a book that addresses this process and makes it the focus of the text. The latest Learning Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 Foundation for Games just released by Autodesk stops with Modeling, so don't think that you are going to find this info there. One of my favorite books on Character Modeling and animation is still the now slightly dated Discover the Game with Alias: An In-Depth Look at Game Art Creation in Maya and Alias MotionBuilder book. It does a great job pretty much covering all the issues that a game artist would face when making a game level.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating for a Teaching Book, June 2, 2008

By 

A. Adams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learning Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 Foundation (Paperback)

I picked this book up hoping to begin learning 3DS Max 2008. What I got was a book filled with errors that is mostly written in a "paint by numbers" style. In the first project alone, it is very easy to keep messing up, or missing steps, because the book had incorrect words, or was unclear at steps, or was just plain missing instructions. Adding to that frustration, was that the first project did not explain to you why you were doing so many of the steps "Change this to 0.5, then check this box", etc. Great, but why am I doing that?! I would instead recommend "Mastering AutoDesk Viz 2008" by Jon McFarland. It is a way better book.