How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2015

Book description

Why take months to learn every button in 3ds Max when you can create great visuals with just a few key tools? Utilize the tool of choice, 3ds Max 2015, for generating realistic environments, seamless CG effects, and jaw dropping games in a matter of hours. You can use the memory-hogging methods that choke your display and take forever to render, or you can get it done quickly and efficiently.

Michael McCarthy offers a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving tips & tricks, and step-by-step walkthroughs—you’ll wonder how you every got by without it! This new edition has been completely revamped for 3ds Max 2015. Start animating today with detailed tutorials, source files, bitmaps, and video demonstrations—all featured on the companion website.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. 1 Customization and UI
    1. Exploring your scene
    2. Enhanced menu
    3. X marks the spot
    4. Make the new old again
    5. Hotbox quad
    6. Custom workspace
  7. 2 Basics
    1. A selection of selections
    2. Making a Scene
    3. Zoom, pan, display
    4. Organizing objects
    5. Transforms and coordinates
    6. Organizing objects: a matter of choice
    7. Roger’s top 10 reasons why you can’t select your object
  8. 3 Modeling
    1. Modeling tools
    2. Reference images
    3. Spline to low poly
    4. Virtual studio
    5. Speed modeling
    6. Modeling with maps in mind
    7. Object placement
    8. Curvy curtain
    9. Shell game
    10. BYO weapon
    11. Quad chamfer
    12. How to make a mess with modeling
    13. Secrets of the spline
    14. Modeling for the masses
  9. 4 Character Modeling
    1. Character references
    2. Character modeling process
    3. Chop shop
    4. Nip and tuck
    5. Polygon building
    6. Subdivision
    7. Poly modeling in practice
    8. Making animatable models
  10. 5 Materials
    1. Material Editor basics
    2. Mapping coordinates
    3. Preparing textures
    4. People, trees, and cars
    5. Multiple maps
    6. Procedurally speaking
    7. Gradual mix
    8. Unwrapping the mapping
    9. Normal mapping
    10. Concavity
    11. Faking subsurface scattering
    12. Mapping a character
    13. Basic mental ray materials
    14. Custom mental ray materials
  11. 6 Lighting & Shadows
    1. 1-2-3 Lighting
    2. Troubleshooting shadows
    3. Exterior lighting
    4. Bright sunshiny day
    5. Mental ray lighting
    6. Good lighting made better
    7. Daylight savings time
    8. Saving time with shadows
    9. Where’s the shadow?
    10. Shadow and wireframe presentation
  12. 7 Reflections
    1. Reflecting on reflections
    2. Bling
    3. Reflections in the dark
    4. Where’s my reflection?
  13. 8 Glass
    1. Exterior daytime windows
    2. Interior daytime windows
    3. Nighttime and dusk
    4. Pint glass
    5. Fun with physics
  14. 9 Animation
    1. Animation 101
    2. Pose to pose
    3. Spinning your gears
    4. Animated pivot point
    5. Following a path
    6. Look a-here
    7. Hold it now
    8. Jumping beans
    9. Linktopia
    10. Linking to multiple objects
    11. Chains
    12. Scripting animation
    13. Super-duper tools
  15. 10 Character Animation
    1. Character animation workflow.
    2. CAT 101
    3. Biped 101
    4. Skeleton fitting
    5. Skinning
    6. Walking in your footsteps
    7. Snack strong
    8. The alternative skeleton
    9. Biped foot control
    10. CAT gizmos
    11. CAT vs. Biped
  16. 11 MAXScript
    1. A world of MAXScripts
    2. Voronoi stone wall
    3. Gizmo control
    4. CAT gizmos for custom rigs
    5. Getting a little tense
    6. Visual pivot placer
    7. PF spliner
    8. FX puck
  17. 12 Rendering
    1. Rendering basics
    2. Render passes with state sets
    3. Managing your scene
    4. Mental ray rendering
    5. Don’t trust your eyes
    6. Auto render elements (Photoshop)
    7. Auto render elements (After Effects)
    8. What is mental ray, anyway?
    9. Perspective matching
    10. Nitrous viewport
    11. Quicksilver rendering
    12. Tipping the attenuation scales
  18. 13 Plugins
    1. V-Ray
    2. Phoenix FD
    3. Joy of liquids
    4. Ornatrix
    5. Zookeeper
    6. Node based snacking
  19. 14 Parameter Wiring
    1. Wiring 101
    2. Follow me
    3. Telling time
    4. Spinning wheels
    5. Feeling exposed
    6. To code or not to code
  20. 15 Special Effects
    1. Logo polishing
    2. MassFX destruction
    3. Breaking into the industry
    4. Raindrops
    5. Morphing
    6. One click to After Effects
    7. Cracks in a surface
    8. What’s in the box?
    9. Particle flow basics
    10. Swirly particles
    11. mParticles
    12. Data flow operators
  21. Appendix
  22. Index

Product information

  • Title: How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2015
  • Author(s): Michael McCarthy
  • Release date: September 2014
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781317692492