3ds max 5 Bible (Paperback)

by Kelly L. Murdock (Author) "When you first got your hands on 3ds max, you were probably focused on one goal-to create cool 3D images and animations..." (more)
Key Phrases: subobject mode, parameters rollout, ifl file, Material Editor, Auto Key, Track View (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
* Shows how to build an animation right away.
* Gives users valuable hands-on experience under the expert guidance of 3D master Kelly Murdock.
* Includes a 16-page full-color insert explaining how to push the limits of max.
* Explores the major program changes that are expected with the next release of 3ds max.
* Provides tutorial files from the book, trial versions of related software, and exclusive plug-ins on the enclosed CD-ROM.

From the Back Cover
"This book is a valuable and insightful resource for beginning and advanced 3D artists alike looking to harness the most power from the vast capabilities of 3ds max 5."
–Phillip Miller, Vice President, Discreet Animation Products Group

• Build your first dynamic animation project today with unique Quick Start guide
• Master all the new features found in 3ds max 5 including Global Illumination, Radiosity, Character Posing, and Layers
• Create cutting-edge special effects for video, motion pictures, games, and television

If 3ds max 5 can do it, you can do it too . . .

Plunge into the world of professional animation with 3D expert Kelly Murdock, whose easy-to-follow tutorials and fluid explanations make this book a must-have for beginners and experienced users alike. He meets you wherever you are as a 3ds max user and elevates your skills to the next level. If you’re a veteran, here is the indispensable road map to the complex variations of version 5. If you’re meeting "Max" for the first time, the amazing Quick Start teaches you to build an eye-popping animation in your very first session!

Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of 3ds max 5

• Add realistic lighting to your images with 3ds max 5’s new Advanced Lighting features including Global Illumination, Radiosity, Photometric Lights, and Area Shadows
• Explore such new modeling features as Character Assemblies, improved bone tools, poseable skin, and a host of new poly object modeling additions such as extruding along a spline
• Increase scene details with materials and maps like the new Ink ‘n’ Paint material
• Automate the animation process with many improvements to the Track View, including Auto Tangents and Soft Selections
• Investigate new transform gizmos and other new version 5 interface elements

Bonus CD-ROM

• 3ds max, Version 5 demo
• All tutorial sample files, models, and bitmaps
• Exclusive plug-ins from Furious Research, including Rainbow atmospheric effect, Sketch render effect, and many more

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1296 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (November 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764537032
• ISBN-13: 978-0764537035
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,118,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good reference book, January 14, 2003

By	James Sim "jim2000000000000" (Chicago, Il USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Be warned, I am a pretty harsh grader.
Well first off this edition does not contain the entire book in a pdf file for easy reading on a laptop/computer so that was definatly a minus. One of the reasons I liked 3DS Max 4 Bible was because you didn't have to carry around the entire book (I've had encyclopidia sets smaller that this folks).
Other than that no real complaints. Newbies will not get much out of this one as this is more of a reference book and not a book of tutorials and techniques.
The book is well written and give good (black and white) photos of what certain effects and/or modifiers look like. I give it 3 stars because its a solid reference book but when you think "bible" your kind of hopeing for more than refence.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slightly dissappointed with this one, April 3, 2003

By	"maranite" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Having previously owned Inside 3D Studio Max Vol 1-3, perhaps my expectations were too high. While the 3DSMax 5 Bible does have plenty of nice pictures and tons of simple tutorials, there's little educations value to this book other than a road map for doing tutorials. The author's style tends towards shallow overviews and sudden lessons, without much thought for explaining how to get the most from Max, what practices to follow, how to avoid pitfalls, etc. Indeed, one is liekly to learn more from Max's tutorials and reference guides than from this book. The Chapters on Maps & Materials were exceptionally dissappointing, offering little more than a guided tour of the immediately obvious.

Having bought this book and read it cover to cover in good faith that it would indeed give meaningful coverage of Max 5's new features, I find myself hard pressed to recommend this book to fellow readers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what is needed for a beginner, August 6, 2003

By	R. Johnson - See all my reviews

After reading some of the other listed reviews, I was a little skeptical of this book, but a friend of mine recommended it so I thought I'd check it out and I'm glad I did. I'm a beginner to 3DS Max and this book is awesome. I tried to get the program to work before this book, but kept running into trouble. The examples are all super simple to follow and very helpful. I especailly like the variety of the examples. In one chapter, the examples are fun cartoons and in another they are amusement rides. I found myself anxious to see what the next example would be. Chapter 1 had a space shuttle example that seemed to be in poor taste, but the rest were great.

I've made it about 3/4 of the way through the book now and even though the features are getting tougher such as the Track View, this book still makes it easy to understand. Another thing I like about this book is that it covers everything, every feature no matter how small is covered. I'm constantly going back to the modifier chapter to see what the various modifiers do.