Master Visually 3ds Max 8 [Paperback]

Jon McFarland (Author), Jinjer Simon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764579924 | ISBN-13: 978-0764579929 | Publication Date: February 20, 2006

* Navigating within the interface
* Creating and editing 2D and 3D objects
* Controlling animation with function curves
* Integrating walls, doors and windows
* Simulating water surfaces and fluttering flags
* Adjusting color and brightness of lighting
* Rendering scenes with Quick Render

Valuable tools on CD-ROM!
* 3ds Max 8 evaluation version
* Project files from the book

System Requirements: Please see the "About the CD-ROM" Appendix for details and complete system requirements.
* "Master It" sidebars answer questions and present shortcuts
* High-resolution screen shots demonstrate each task
* Succinct explanations walk you through step by step
* Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• Navigating within the interface
• Creating and editing 2D and 3D objects
• Controlling animation with function curves
• Integrating walls, doors and windows
• Simulating water surfaces and fluttering flags
• Adjusting color and brightness of lighting
• Rendering scenes with Quick Render

Valuable tools on CD-ROM!

• 3ds Max 8 evaluation version
• Project files from the book

System Requirements: Please see the "About the CD-ROM" Appendix for details and complete system requirements.

• "Master It" sidebars answer questions and present shortcuts
• High-resolution screen shots demonstrate each task
• Succinct explanations walk you through step by step
• Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules

About the Author

Jon McFarland is a certified 3ds Max instructor who manages the design department for a national owner and developer of retail, office and residential properties, where he spends much of the day creating mock-ups of potential facilities. A 3ds Max user, as well as an alpha and beta tester for over ten years, he uses 3ds max and AutoCAD (Architectural Desktop) professionally to create fly-throughs of proposed facility construction and expansions (and their related visualization and advertising requirements) He also teaches 3ds max at the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design, a small, accredited art school in Lakewood, Ohio. He wrote 3ds max 4 In Depth for Coriolis Publishing and was a contributing author for Inside 3ds max 7 for Peachpit. He has been a technical editor for several books published by Coriolis, New Riders, Thomson and Peachpit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 601 pages
• Publisher: Visual (February 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764579924
• ISBN-13: 978-0764579929
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon McFarland manages the design department for a national owner/developer of real estate property and retail offices. In addition, Jon teaches and works as technical editor of 3ds max(TM) 4 for colleges and businesses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!, February 19, 2006

By 

Jackie (State College, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Visually 3ds Max 8 (Paperback)

This book is through and easy to use, organized throughout by individual tasks that you can do in max -- with numbered, illustrated steps for each solution. Never before have I seen 3ds Max operations made so simple -- and yet there is so much power to be tapped in just those few steps. I rate this as "Highly Recommended" for anyone working with 3ds max. It's the kind of book that you can keep by your side for instant answers. I've found this to be a real time-saver that makes me (and my work)look great.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Find Information, February 21, 2006

By 

PJAvery "PJ" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Visually 3ds Max 8 (Paperback)

Every feature that I wanted to learn about was easy to find and understand. Most tasks are broken down into 2 or 4 pages and every step was outlined clearly. I didn't have to work through and entire chapter just to find the procedure for the task that I was looking for. This book helped me out a lot.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, March 26, 2006

By 

L. Moss "Flash Man" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master Visually 3ds Max 8 (Paperback)

I guess I was expecting more tutorials with this book. It is good for newbies. If you have a general understanding of the software you might be disapointed.