Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2012 Essentials: AUTODESK OFFICIAL TRAINING GUIDE

Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2012 Essentials: AUTODESK OFFICIAL TRAINING GUIDE

Released June 2011
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9781118016756

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Book description

This ebook does not provide access to the companion materials.

Get a jump-start on Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 essentials—with the Essentials!

The new Essentials books from Sybex are beautiful, task-based, full-color Autodesk Official Training Guides that help you get up to speed on Autodesk topics quickly and easily. Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Essentials thoroughly covers the fundamentals of this popular 3D animation effects, and visualization software, teaching you what you need to become quickly productive.

By following the book's clear explanations, practical tutorials, and step-by-step exercises, you'll cover all the bases. Topics include modeling, animation, rendering, rigging, compositing, and much more. Whether you're an aspiring 3D designer or a professional brushing up on the basics, here is the essential grounding you need in 3ds Max 2012.

  • Covers Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 fundamentals, so you become quickly productive with the software
  • Uses straightforward explanations and real-world, hands-on exercises and tutorials to teach the software's core features and functions
  • Helps you develop the skills you'll need throughout an animation production pipeline, whether you're a beginner or a more experienced user brushing up on the basics
  • Uses a task-based approach and covers topics such as polygon modeling, materials and mapping, lighting, using mental ray, HDRI images, and more
  • This book is an Autodesk Official Training Guide

If you want to get quickly up to speed on 3ds Max, Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Essentials is the place to start.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Publisher's Note
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. About the Authors
  8. Introduction
    1. Who Should Read This Book
    2. What Is Covered in This Book
    3. The Essentials Series
  9. Chapter 1: The 3ds Max Interface
    1. The Workspace
    2. Transforming Objects Using Gizmos
    3. Graphite Modeling Tools Ribbon
    4. Command Panel
    5. Time Slider and Track Bar
    6. File Management
    7. The Essentials and Beyond
  10. Chapter 2: Your First 3ds Max Project
    1. Starting to Model a Chest of Drawers
    2. Modeling the Top
    3. I Can See Your Drawers
    4. Modeling the Bottom
    5. Creating the Knobs
    6. The Essentials and Beyond
  11. Chapter 3: Modeling in 3ds Max: Part I
    1. Building the Red Rocket
    2. Creating Planes and Adding Materials
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  12. Chapter 4: Modeling in 3ds Max: Part II
    1. Creating the Thruster
    2. Making the Wheels
    3. Getting a Handle on Things
    4. The Essentials and Beyond
  13. Chapter 5: Animating a Bouncing Ball
    1. Animating the Ball
    2. Refining the Animation
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  14. Chapter 6: Animating a Thrown Knife
    1. Anticipation and Momentum in Knife Throwing
    2. The Essentials and Beyond
  15. Chapter 7: Character Poly Modeling: Part I
    1. Setting Up the Scene
    2. Creating the Soldier
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  16. Chapter 8: Character Poly Modeling: Part II
    1. Completing the Main Body
    2. Creating the Accessories
    3. Putting On the Boots
    4. Creating the Hands
    5. The Essentials and Beyond
  17. Chapter 9: Character Poly Modeling: Part III
    1. Creating the Head
    2. Merging In and Attaching the Head’s Accessories
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  18. Chapter 10: Introduction to Materials: Red Rocket
    1. Materials
    2. Compact Material Editor
    3. Mapping the Rocket
    4. Bring on the Nose, Bring on the Funk
    5. The Essentials and Beyond
  19. Chapter 11: Textures and UV Workflow: The Soldier
    1. Mapping the Soldier
    2. UV Unwrapping
    3. Seaming the Rest of the Body
    4. Applying the Color Map
    5. Applying the Bump Map
    6. Applying the Specular Map
    7. The Essentials and Beyond
  20. Chapter 12: Character Studio: Rigging
    1. Character Studio Workflow
    2. Associating a Biped with the Soldier Model
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  21. Chapter 13: Character Studio: Animating
    1. Character Animation
    2. Animating the Soldier
    3. The Essentials and Beyond
  22. Chapter 14: Introduction to Lighting: Red Rocket
    1. Three-Point Lighting
    2. 3ds Max Lights
    3. Default Lights
    4. Standard Lights
    5. Lighting the Red Rocket
    6. Selecting a Shadow Type
    7. Atmospheres and Effects
    8. Light Lister
    9. The Essentials and Beyond
  23. Chapter 15: 3ds Max Rendering
    1. Rendering Setup
    2. Cameras
    3. Safe Frame
    4. Raytraced Reflections and Refractions
    5. Rendering the Rocket
    6. The Essentials and Beyond
  24. Chapter 16: mental ray and HDRI
    1. mental ray Renderer
    2. Final Gather with mental ray
    3. HDRI
    4. The Essentials and Beyond
  25. Index
  26. Bonus Chapter 1: Particles
    1. Understanding Particle Systems
    2. Setting Up a Particle System
    3. Controlling the Particles with Deflectors
    4. The Essentials and Beyond
  27. Advertisement

Product information

  • Title: Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2012 Essentials: AUTODESK OFFICIAL TRAINING GUIDE
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: June 2011
  • Publisher(s): Sybex
  • ISBN: 9781118016756