Product Description

The book teaches skills and techniques in a way that not only provides an understanding of MAX X and its functionality but also how to apply those tools to a normal work environment by using a single, comprehensive project. Each chapter contains a section that provides an explanation of the tools, features and techniques being used, some sample exercises for reinforcement, and some of the artistic insight behind the process. The chapter concludes with the "workshop" section, which walks the reader through a series of step-by-step tutorials that culminate into a final, working project by the end of the book.

The tear card, color section, tips, notes and sidebars are filled with expert advice and supplemental information and together with the chapter material provide the reader with an invaluable resource that they can return to time and again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #543212 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-28
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
3ds max 4 Workshop is very appealing in a number of ways. For one, the entire book is primarily focused on creating a single film, starting with sketching out ideas on paper to create the final end credits. Also, the inside front and back covers of the book include a handy list of keyboard shortcuts and a two-page tear-out examines the interface and defines every icon and palette.

While the book opens with the usual examination and explanation of the interface, the remainder breaks from the pack and introduces the toolset on an as-needed basis. The goal of the book is to create a sci-fi short film while teaching the hows and whys of the max 4 toolset. This philosophy works very well, introducing tools based on need rather than just for the sake of the tool and an ample number of screen shots clarify all instructions.

Over the course of the book's nine chapters, just about every major tool is used, from the various ways of modelling to adding surface detail to setting up bones and using kinematics for animation, through final rendering and compositing using Video Post.

3ds max 4 Workshop is not a handbook or reference but more of a series of tutorials. This style of book makes a fine companion to the program's manuals and other 3ds max reference books as it describes tools and techniques in a more in-context light. Designed for new max users, the book goes out of its way to use features new to 3ds max 4, which are noted with an icon throughout the book. The sketch-to-final render examples are priceless and the easy-going style of the text makes working through the chapters a breeze. --Mike Caputo

From the Back Cover

The book teaches skills and techniques in a way that not only provides an understanding of MAX X and its functionality but also how to apply those tools to a normal work environment by using a single, comprehensive project. Each chapter contains a section that provides an explanation of the tools, features and techniques being used, some sample exercises for reinforcement, and some of the artistic insight behind the process. The chapter concludes with the "workshop" section, which walks the reader through a series of step-by-step tutorials that culminate into a final, working project by the end of the book.

The tear card, color section, tips, notes and sidebars are filled with expert advice and supplemental information and together with the chapter material provide the reader with an invaluable resource that they can return to time and again.

About the Author

Duane Loose is an industrial designer who spent his formative years up in the prairie regions of southern Alberta. At the age of six, he saw a burning satellite reenter the earth's atmosphere over Winston Bohne's frozen duck pond. That singular experience began a lifelong obsession with science fiction, which was tolerated by his dad, who worked in the real space-exploration efforts of the '60s and '70s at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

After he completed his college studies, Duane spent 16 years as an award-winning industrial designer and design consultant to several Fortune 100 companies. In his spare time, he drew spaceships and robots and taught undergraduate and graduate design courses at M.I.T., Rhode Island School of Design, and California State University at Long Beach. These days he keeps his hand in education as a member of the faculty advisory committee of the Industrial Design Department at Brigham Young University. They actually ask him to give his opinions about the future of computer animation and storytelling in Industrial Design.

In 1994, to everyone's surprise, Duane's lifelong devotion to outer space, UFOs, extraterrestrials, and conspiracy theories was vindicated when he was hired as the Supervising Art Director for CGI/Development at Creative Capers Entertainment, Inc., a computer animation and original content development studio in Glendale, California. Duane's duties there include digital content creation, art direction, concept development and visual design, story development, and treatments for Creative Capers feature film, TV, and video game projects. It's a tough job¿someone has to do it.

In addition to several films currently in development, Capers's current projects in production include Michael Bedards's "Sitting Ducks"¿An episodic computer-animated series coming to TV in Fall 2001. Intergalactic Bounty Hunter¿A three-episode classic Sci-Fi action/adventure PC and console game for Infinite Loop, a division of Pan Interactive. First episode release is scheduled for Summer 2001.

Duane is the sufficiently sane father of 12 children and stepchildren and resides with his beautiful wife, Susanne, and their family in beautiful Lake Elsinore, California, which is not close enough to Area 51.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating despite an abrasive style
This book is an excellent introduction to 3ds Max 4, and useful for those of us that have been using Max since version 1 as well. It is well written by an obviously authoritative author - even if his style is a little abrasive, even condescending sometimes. The USP of this book is its focus on producing a digital movie start to finish - not just techy blow-by-blow accounts of the multitude of functions in Max. I own it and recommend it.

Excellent for beginners
I started working in Max4 using 3ds max In Depth. This provided me with alot of technical info, but there was no insight into the creative aspect of working with 3ds. 3ds 4 Workshop made my introduction alot easier by going through the creative processes and introducing new terms and content with a relaxed 'for the beginner' type of attitude. Although this book does not go deeply in-depth, it provides you with the basic understanding of MAX by guiding you through all levels of production of a one minute project about Area51(for all you sci-fi-heads). This book has made it easy fo me to understand Max and has prepared me for more demanding projects.

Good but flawed
If this book had been proof read I'd give it 5/5. Some fairly serious jumps of procedure have been taken in some places. By chapter 4 you will be seriously wondering why your available bump map parameters are not the same as described!!

On the amazon.com site the author admits this is his fault. It's just frustrating as a total beginner when you spend two hours banging your head on the table and then open up the book CD example which is using different maps, frame no.s, etc. to what the book instructs. Chapter 4 was particulary annoying when the author forgot to mention that cloud map had to be created in the diffuse map. As a total beginner the 'follow the steps and then hit a brick wall' problems can be very annoying. A lot of the examples were also zipped up on the CD as well(loads of spare room). Annoying when you can't run everything from one source automatically or from the non-existent CD directories listed in the book.

Enough moaning anyway. As instructional tool when it's right it's good. As the author admits it won't show you everything but the project is good enough to fire your imagination and inspire you to further you 3ds knowledge more than diving into something like the 3ds bible would as a first book. I looked through a number of tutorial based books and this had the 'I want to do that' factor.

Recommened as long as realise some of the tutorials don't work exactly as instructed. Just take two minutes to think about what you think you should do rather than what you're being told in text and it'll work!(hopefully)If you go to amazon.com the author has left an email address so pester him if you get stuck!

Has the magic inspiration factor but please proof read it next time!!!!