How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2011

How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2011

by Michele Bousquet
Released November 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136130533

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Book description

**How to Cheat in 3ds Max - updated for latest rev of Max**

Need to get results with 3ds max fast? Why take months to learn every button in 3ds max when you can create great visuals with just a few key tools? Learn to create quick yet stunning special effects, and animated characters with the fastest techniques possible. Need convincing grass, trees, water, shadows? You can use the memory-hogging methods that choke your display and take forever to render, or you can get it done bing-bang with this book. When you need an animated character you can spend days fiddling with polygons, or you can use this book to put it together in minutes and get the entire project done in a day. How to Cheat in 3ds max includes a host of time-saving techniques as well as little-known tools that will make you look like an expert in no time flat. This book is for busy professionals who need to get it done right, but also need it done fast.

This rev of the book will have higher-end cheats (for Intermediate users) and ALL NEW or UPDATED content on: new modelling and material tools, mental ray, special effects, particle systems, and scripting.

The web site offers scene files and bitmaps used to illustrate the cheats, also music files, organizational samples, and instructional Camtasia movies of Michele where Michele showing some of the trickier techniques.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. How to cheat, and why
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. How to use this book
  8. Introduction
    1. Making a scene
    2. A selection of selections
    3. Zoom, pan, display
    4. Organizing objects
    5. Transforms and coordinates
    6. Interlude: Organizing objects: a matter of choice
    7. Playtime: Roger’s top 10 reasons why you can’t select your object
  9. 1. Modeling
    1. Modeling Tools
    2. Reference images
    3. Virtual Studio
    4. 15-minute building
    5. Modeling around maps
    6. Modeling from a plan
    7. Curvy curtain
    8. BYO weapon
    9. Modeling a gorge
    10. Custom engraving
    11. Importing models
    12. Interlude: How to make a mess with modeling
    13. Playtime: Secrets of the Spline
  10. 2. Character modeling
    1. Character references
    2. Character modeling process
    3. Chop shop
    4. Nip and tuck
    5. Polygon building
    6. Facial modeling
    7. Hair
    8. Subdivision
    9. Poly modeling in practice
    10. Interlude: Making animatable models
    11. Playtime: Practice without pixels
  11. 3. Materials and mapping
    1. Material Editor basics
    2. Mapping coordinates
    3. Preparing textures
    4. Applying a decal
    5. People, trees, and cars
    6. Multiple maps
    7. Background maps
    8. Procedurally speaking
    9. Gradual mix
    10. Unwrapping the mapping
    11. Normal mapping
    12. Mapping a character
    13. Basic mental ray materials
    14. Custom mental ray materials
    15. Interlude: Lumps, bumps, and dainty curly stuff
  12. 4. Lighting & shadows
    1. 1-2-3 lighting
    2. Exterior lighting
    3. Interior lighting
    4. Bright sunshiny day
    5. Space scenes
    6. Mental ray lighting
    7. Good lighting made better
    8. Daylight savings time
    9. Interlude: How to waste time with lighting
    10. Pick your shadows
    11. Shadow timesavers
    12. Where’s the shadow?
    13. Troubleshooting shadows
    14. Interlude: Shadow and wireframe presentation
  13. 5. Reflections
    1. Reflecting on reflections
    2. Bling
    3. Mirror, mirror
    4. Interlude: Dude, where’s my reflection?
  14. 6. Glass
    1. Exterior daytime windows
    2. Interior daytime windows
    3. Nighttime and dusk
    4. Glass bottle
    5. Interlude: Fun with physics
  15. 7. Animation
    1. Animation 101
    2. Spinning your gears
    3. Following a path
    4. Look-a-here
    5. Jumping beans
    6. Linktopia
    7. Linking to multiple objects
    8. Chains
    9. Interlude: Super-duper tools
  16. 8. Character animation
    1. Character animation workflow
    2. CAT 101
    3. Biped 101
    4. Skeleton fitting
    5. Skinning
    6. Walking in your footsteps
    7. The alternative skeleton
    8. Bouncing and flexing
    9. Interlude: CAT vs. Biped
  17. 9. Rendering
    1. Rendering basics
    2. Mental ray rendering
    3. Depth of field
    4. A shift of perspective
    5. Rendering large images
    6. Interlude: What is mental ray, anyway?
  18. 10. Parameter wiring
    1. Wiring 101
    2. Follow Me
    3. Telling time
    4. Interlude: Spinning wheels
  19. 11. Special effects
    1. Cracks in a surface
    2. Rotoscoping
    3. Raindrops
    4. In the jungle
    5. Cigarette smoke
    6. Interlude: Morphing
  20. Appendix
    1. Challenges
    2. Website files
  21. Index

Product information

  • Title: How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2011
  • Author(s): Michele Bousquet
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136130533