Product Description

Welcome to 3ds max Studio 5! You, too, can be a hot-shot 3D designer--if you can figure out how to use the high-end, industry standard 3-D animation and modeling software! Lucky for you, you've come to the right place: 3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide provides all the instruction you need to get up and running quickly using the world's most popular 3-D animation software. Although 3-D computer animation can be an intimidating topic, this updated volume guide removes the fear factor from learning by breaking the process down into manageable tasks. Award-winning artist and teacher Michele Matossian uses step-by-step instructions peppered with plenty of screen shots to lead you through the basics of 3ds max. After introducing you to the program's interface, navigation, and display tools, the guide goes on to cover modeling and transforming objects, surface mapping, rendering, and creating full-fledged animations. Along the way, you'll also find plenty of insider tips and techniques, as well as in-depth coverage of all of the program's new features, including a streamlined interface, expanded scripting options, enhanced character animation, and more. If you¿re ready to enter the world of 3ds max 5, you need this guide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #632110 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-07
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

From the Back Cover

Welcome to 3ds max Studio 5! You, too, can be a hot-shot 3D designer--if you can figure out how to use the high-end, industry standard 3-D animation and modeling software! Lucky for you, you've come to the right place: 3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide provides all the instruction you need to get up and running quickly using the world's most popular 3-D animation software. Although 3-D computer animation can be an intimidating topic, this updated volume guide removes the fear factor from learning by breaking the process down into manageable tasks. Award-winning artist and teacher Michele Matossian uses step-by-step instructions peppered with plenty of screen shots to lead you through the basics of 3ds max. After introducing you to the program's interface, navigation, and display tools, the guide goes on to cover modeling and transforming objects, surface mapping, rendering, and creating full-fledged animations. Along the way, you'll also find plenty of insider tips and techniques, as well as in-depth coverage of all of the program's new features, including a streamlined interface, expanded scripting options, enhanced character animation, and more. If you¿re ready to enter the world of 3ds max 5, you need this guide.

About the Author

3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide This book was originally cataloged in April 2003 catalog. HEADLINE: The most efficient, affordable, must-have guide to the leading 3--D modeling and animation application for Windows. BULLET POINTS: * Award-winning artist and teacher, Michele Matossian, covers all 3ds max 5¿s new features, including streamlined interface and expanded scripting options. * Popular format functions as a tool for learning 3D modeling, animation, and rendering, and as a handy reference. * The most affordable, comprehensive book onguide to 3ds max 5 on the market. SUMMARY: With 3ds max 5 ($3,495 SRP, $795 upgrade), illustrators, animators, game designers, and special effects designers can create and animate dazzling, highly realistic 3-D graphics such as those seen in summer blockbusters like Minority Report and Spider-Man. The software¿s complex interface and powerful technology can be intimidating to newcomers, but the 3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide breaks the process down into manageable tasks to remove the fear factor. The amply illustrated, task-based format also makes the book an invaluable reference for experienced users upgrading to the new version. This is an efficient but authoritative guide, fully updated by master teacher and illustrator Michele Matossian. After a thorough introduction to the program¿s interface, navigation, and display tools, Matossian gets to the real heart of this QuickStart Guide: modeling and transforming objects, surface mapping, 3-D rendering and animations. She covers all of the program¿s new features, including enhanced character animation, the Active Shade interactive renderer, improved UV mapping tools, advanced lighting and shadows, and more, and presents them in the straightforward, well-paced style that characterizes the Visual QuickStart Guide series. This book is essential for anybody wanting to gain or enhance professional skills in 3ds max 5. With 3ds max 5 ($3,495 SRP, $795 upgrade), illustrators, animators, game designers, and special effectsdesigners can create and animate dazzling, highly realistic 3D graphics such as those seen in summer blockbusters like Minority Report and Spider-Man and in scientific and medical publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine. That¿s one reason so many art schools offer 3ds max training to aspiring professionals. The complex interface and powerful technology underlying 3D animation and modeling software can be intimidating to newcomers, but the 3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide breaks the process down into manageable tasks to remove the fear factor. The amply illustrated, task-based format also makes the book an invaluable reference for experienced users upgrading to the new version. This is an efficient but authoritative guide, fully updated by master teacher and illustrator Michele Matossian. After a thorough introduction to the program¿s interface, navigation, and display tools, Matossian gets to the real heart of this QuickStart Guide: modeling and transforming objects, surface mapping, 3-D rendering and animations. She covers all of the program¿s new features, including enhanced character animation, the Active Shade interactive renderer, improved UV mapping tools, advanced lighting and shadows, and more, and presents them in the straightforward, well-paced style that characterizes the Visual QuickStart Guide series. This book is essential for anybody wanting to gain or enhance professional skills in 3ds max 5. AUTHOR: Michele Matossian, MFA, is an award-winning artist with more than 10 years of college teaching experience. Her work has appeared in games, galleries, Web sites, magazine ads, and medical and scientific education CD-ROMs. The founder of Lightweaver Communications, Michele provides e-learning consulting services to corporations and education institutions. For more information, see www.lightweaver.com. AUDIENCE: Beginning to intermediate 3ds max 5 users and experienced 3-D designers looking for a quick reference to all of the new features in this industry-standard animation and modeling program. WEB COPY: Welcome to 3ds max Studio 5! You, too, can be a hot-shot 3D designer¿if you can figure out how to use the high-end, industry standard 3-D animation and modeling software! Lucky for you, you¿ve come to the right place: 3ds max 5 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide provides all the instruction you need to get up and running quickly using the world¿s most popular 3-D animation software. Although 3-D computer animation can be an intimidating topic, this updated volume guide removes the fear factor from learning by breaking the process down into manageable tasks. Award-winning artist and teacher Michele Matossian uses step-by-step instructions peppered with plenty of screen shots to lead you through the basics of 3ds max. After introducing you to the program¿s interface, navigation, and display tools, the guide goes on to cover modeling and transforming objects, surface mapping, rendering, and creating full-fledged animations. Along the way, you¿llYou¿ll also find plenty of insider tips and techniques, as well as in-depth coverage of all of the program¿s new features, including a streamlined interface, expanded scripting options, enhanced character animation, and more. If you¿re ready to enter the world of 3ds max 5, you need this guide. CATALOG COPY: There¿s no better way to get up- to- speed quickly on the visually stunning¿and stunningly complex¿3ds max 5. The task-based reference, abundantly illustrated with screen shots and augmented with plenty of valuable tips, covers all the essential modeling and animation features, including the newly streamlined interface, expanded scripting options, enhanced character animation, and more. The best-priced introduction to 3ds max 5 is also a must-have handy reference for experienced users.

Customer Reviews

The first really good 3dsMax book!
Over the years i've seen many 3dsmax books. I have used the software in its various incarnations since the time when it was called 3d studio back in the 90s. With the move over to windows NT, then 2000 and finally XP, it seemed to become much less accessible to me. I found the layout and menu structures complicated and alien, and decided to model in other CAD software. With developments in radiosity and raytracing i felt that i really ought to get back into it. So I went out and bought the books, mostly the thick ones - probably 5 in all. However, I consistently found these overpriced books very heavy going, for what i always remembered was a pretty simple piece of software! I guess the publisher's marketing principle for these publications is "the bigger the book, the more you think you'll learn... and the less of the competition (i.e. other author's work) you can fit on the shelf!" - well for me it was the opposite. With this book release, which i purchased at a fraction of the cost of others, i fell straight back into 3dsudio immediatley, - the author's approach is unique and a breath of fresh air. Its so straight forward - this book presents 3dsmax as a simple programme, which it is. There are no long, tedious tutorials showing you how to build a really aweful looking bowl or spaceship, just simple explanation of how each tool can be used, giving you the knowledge to do what you want to do. Now, I am a slow reader but i am glad to say that I got through the whole thing on holiday, cover to cover (sad but true!). I now understand exactly what the software can do, how to do it etc. and its easy taking the book to work because unlike the other manuals it doesn't need its own trailer! So, nowadays, i'm setting myself little tutorials building the things i want to, using the book as guidance - and i'm doing just fine!

To sum up - this book is a wonderful refresher course for veterans, but also i think a great beginner's book. If you have a rush job, then get a tutorial based book on something close to what you are trying to achieve. Some experience with CAD is useful, just like riding a bike well can help you to ride a motorbike... 3smax for windows (despite the naff title and cover) cuts through the mountain of crap that makes up these other "Bible-like" books Volumes 1-5 etc. that you see cluttering every bookshop CAD shelf. Push the fatties off the shelf and fill them up with this one! All i ask is that Ms. Matossian write more books about more software. Good on ya luv!

Not the Greatest..........
I bought this book to assit me in doing my 3D Animation assignment. As a beginner, i dont have much knowledge of 3D Max and this book doesn't help that fact too.

Its not consistant, as in, information you want is in different various parts of the book and the book also assumes you used 3D Max before!

This Quickstart guide is not what i was looking and need something which will take me through each part of 3D max into detail.

Just a bit basic
This book does hold your hand more than most other 3D max books, but it never really gets past the very basic aspects of the programme.

It's good for someone that has never used the programme before But if you already know even a very small amount, I'd consider one of the max 'bibles' instead.