Product Description

Need to solve problems quickly to develop creative projects within your time and budget? Want to hone your 3ds Max skills so you can concentrate on your modeling, lighting, texturing, and animation? Then How to Cheat in 3ds Max is for you! Michele Bousquet shows how to work from the problem to the solution - from the viewpoint of a CG artist who has been commissioned to create a job and is working to a deadline.

With her in-depth knowledge of the little-known secrets used by the pros to produce creative, professional artwork and animation, Michele is THE go-to guru for designers and animators who want to create great effects fast.

This accessible, practical book and CD package is such a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step workthroughs that you'll wonder how you survived without it. Written for 3ds Max 2009 and backwards compatible with 3ds Max 2008.

-Author is well-respected Max authority - she shares her secrets on little-known tools that save a bundle of time

-Concise, step by step, focused, examples with everything on CD so that artists and designers can start toying right away.

-New title in proven How to Cheat series: solution-oriented, quick results.

-No need to learn the entire program to look like a pro - info is quick, task-oriented, with real-life creative solutions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124852 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Review
'My first impression was "WOW!" and my second impression was "This is what reference material should look like!" The balance between illustration and text is just right for visual people - 3D artists will love it.'
- Borislav "Bobo" Petrov, Technical Director of Visual Effects at Frantic Films

'This excellent book will inspire anyone to dig a little deeper into this incredible piece of software.'
- Stefan Vittori, Managing Director Tangram 3DS

'The most visually interactive training tool ever for 3ds MAX. It is visually engaging and sets a new standard for understanding complex concepts. Michele Bousquet Rocks!'
- Richard Lapidus, Assistant Professor, 3D Animation, Mechanical Design and Drafting/CAD

'Best tricks of the trade, deliciously illustrated. Michelle reveals the secrets behind the magic of using 3ds Max. Move over David Blaine.'
- Mark Gerhard, 3ds Max Guru

'I was instantly blown away by 'How to cheat in 3ds Max 2009'! Michele has managed to capture many of the 3D industry's leading techniques and processes as well as a lot of advanced content that a lot of the pro's all use. Not only that - but in a very straight forward and easy to follow process that should be every beginners handbook and a very useful resource for even the most advanced users! Thumbs up!'
- Allan McKay, VFX Supervisor

'I found this book to be thoroughly readable and filled with time saving ideas. It's well organized and clearly written. There's lots of information in each section and the abundance of pictures makes it easy to follow. I know this book will soon become a well used and dog-eared reference in my classroom. It's filled with just the type of information my students need every single day. Each topic is covered in a single two-page spread so it's easy to read and quick to put into practice.'
- Pat Gombarcik, Autodesk Certified Instructor

'Finally a book that conveys the fun and fast side of 3ds Max. Bousquet has packed the pages with colorful and quick tutorials that help you master all of 3ds Max's main concepts.'
- Jim Lammers, President, Trinity Animation Inc.

'Here's a book you'll want to keep close to your workstation, with important workflow techniques in an attractive and accessible format. Remember that computer visualization is all fake, so "cheating" is exactly the way to increase your productivity. Good luck and have fun.'
- Ted Boardman, independent 3ds max instructor and author

About the Author
Michele Bousquet is an Autodesk Certified Trainer who has been using 3ds Max since its first release. She has worked as a Senior Technical Writer for Autodesk and has authored more than 20 books on 3ds Max. Michele is currently the Director of Marketing at TurboSquid.com, the largest online marketplace for stock 3D models in the known universe. In 2007, Michele won a WorldFest Remi Award for the TV show Animation Station, an educational series hosted by Michele. These days, Michele thrives on feeding her need to animate while staying involved in all aspects of the 3D industry.

Customer Reviews

Good book bad support...
I've pre-ordered this book and awaited patiently for it. When I got it I read it and did some or most of the tutorials. And they're great! The book explains (very) visually some tips and tricks of the trade and I already applied them to my personal projects! I can only praise the book in that... but... one of the tutorials is missing some texture maps (on the cd) so I started sending e-mails... without response... the so-called "support website"... is nothing more then an advertisement site about the book...
So if you want a very cool and insightfull book this is a good buy BUT don't expect a great support or the acess to those missing files or extra videos they promised that will exist in the "support website"

How to cheat in 3DS MAX
This is an excellent publication, well compiled and informative. I have read the book through twice and am on my third lap and still find things I missed which would be useful. One should keep a book such as this as a reference. One cannnot remember everything with regard to this subject matter, therefore periodic reading is advised.
All the best
tony

good idea but insuficient development
I think the idea of a visual guide to cheats, hints and techniques was excellent, but, I was disappointed by the oversimplified approach to a very complex subject. 3DS MAX is a very difficult professional program with many layers of complexity. Generally it is not possible to just do steps A, B or C with out considering the consequences and what happens to X, Y or Z. This book fails to address this.

I did learn few things from this book, but very few. If you are anything but a total beginner many explanations will quickly become obvious and unnecessary. My opinion is that too often, the book lacks enough depth to consider it a useful learning tool.