Preface xvii Hour 1: Introduction 1 What This Book Covers 2 This Book''s Structure 4 What Is Autodesk 3ds Max? 7 Getting Autodesk 3ds Max 7 Extra Stuff 7 Disclaimer and Disclosure 8 Summary 9 Q&A 9 Workshop 9 Exercise 9 Hour 2: Exploring the Interface 11 The Interface Elements 12 Quad Menus 27 Summary 28 Q&A 29 Workshop 29 Exercise 30 Hour 3: Navigating the Viewports 31 3D Space 31 The ViewCube 33 SteeringWheels 34 Viewport Navigation Controls 35 Viewport Configuration 36 The Viewport Layout Tab 37 Summary 39 Q&A 39 Workshop 39 Exercise 40 Hour 4: Primitives and Transforms 41 Primitive Creation 41 Names and Colors 46 Types of Primitives 47 More Than Primitives 50 Object Manipulation in 3D Space 51 Summary 59 Q&A 59 Workshop 59 Exercise 60 Hour 5: 3ds Max Modifiers 61 The Modify Tab 61 The Buttons Under the Modifier Stack 64 World Space Versus Local/Object Space 66 Summary 68 Q&A 69 Workshop 69 Exercise 70 Hour 6: Sub-Object Exploration 71 An Introduction to the Three Sub-Objects 71 Working with Sub-Objects 73 Vertex, Edge, and Polygon Sub-Object Levels 74 Editable Poly Sub-Object Rollouts 76 Normals 81 Summary 83 Q&A 83 Workshop 83 Exercise 84 Hour 7: 3D Modeling 85 Creating a Cartoon Face 85 Creating a Spaceship 93 Creating a Futuristic City Planet 100 Additional Modeling Techniques 104 Summary 106 Q&A 106 Workshop 106 Exercise 107 Hour 8: Materials and Textures 109 The Material Editor 109 Applying Textures to Objects 114 Assigning Multiple Materials 116 UVW Mapping 123 Summary 129 Q&A 129 Workshop 129 Exercise 130 Hour 9: Computer Animation 131 Basic Animation Concepts 131 The Animation Tools 133 First Steps into Animation 135 Pivot Points 141 Summary 142 Q&A 143 Workshop 143 Exercise 144 Hour 10: Illuminating Scenes Using Lights 145 3ds Max Lighting Introduction 145 Standard Lights 148 Photometric Lights 150 Adding Lights to a Scene 151 Summary 154 Q&A 154 Workshop 155 Exercise 155 Hour 11: Adding and Editing 3D Camera 157 Camera-Based Concepts 157 3ds Max Cameras 159 Animating Cameras 164 Cameras and Modifiers 166 Summary 166 Q&A 166 Workshop 167 Exercise 167 Hour 12: Rendering for Production 169 An Overview of Rendering in 3ds Max 169 Quick Rendering 170 Rendering Tools 172 Still Image Rendering 178 Animation Rendering 178 Summary 181 Q&A 182 Workshop 182 Exercise 183 Hour 13: Combining Techniques to Create a Showcase 185 Stages Explained 185 Stage 1: Preparation 186 Stage 2: Materials 189 Stage 3: Camera 192 Stage 4: Animation 193 Stage 5: Lighting 194 Stage 6: Final Changes 196 Stage 7: Rendering 198 Summary 198 Q&A 198 Workshop 199 Exercise 199 Hour 14: Rigging Objects for Easier Animation 201 Hierarchies and Linking 201 Bone Tools 205 Forward and Inverse Kinematics 207 Creating a Custom Rig 210 Using Character Studio (Biped) 211 Using CAT (Character Animation Toolkit) 212 Summary 214 Q&A 214 Workshop 215 Exercise 215 Hour 15: Influencing Geometry Using Skinning Techniques 217 What Is Skinning? 217 Influence Area and Envelopes 218 The Skin Modifier 219 Manual Skin Weighting 223 Setting Up Characters for Animation Use 228 Summary 231 Q&A 231 Workshop 231 Exercise 232 Hour 16: Character Animation 233 The 12 Principles of Animation 233 The Bouncing Ball 242 Summary 252 Q&A 253 Workshop 253 Exercise 254 Hour 17: Dynamic Simulations 255 The MassFX Toolset 255 Creating Keyframed Animation from Dynamic Simulations 259 Causing Destruction with MassFX 261 Summary 266 Q&A 267 Workshop 267 Exercise 267 Hour 18: Particles and Effects 269 Space Warps 269 Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems 273 Event-Driven Particle Systems: Particle Flow 275 Summary 283 Q&A 284 Workshop 284 Exercise 285 Hour 19: Cloth, Hair, and Fur Creation 287 Simulating Cloth 287 Simulating Hair and Fur 292 Summary 299 Q&A 299 Workshop 299 Exercise 300 Hour 20: Mental Ray Rendering 301 Mental Ray Introduction 301 Common Render Settings 304 The Mental Ray Daylight System 306 Daylight and Additional Lights 311 Summary 312 Q&A 312 Workshop 312 Exercise 313 Hour 21: 3ds Max Project Management Techniques 315 Scene Workflow 315 Naming Conventions 323 Project Setup and Folder Handling 325 Project Management in Production 326 Summary 328 Q&A 329 Workshop 329 Exercise 330 Hour 22: Combining Advanced Techniques to Create a Showcase 331 Stage 1: Getting Started 331 Stage 2: Preparation 332 Stage 3: Project Management 332 Stage 4: Creation 335 Stage 5: Layout 337 Stage 6: Camera and Lensing 341 Stage 7: Animation and Visual Effects 342 Stage 8: Lighting 344 Stage 9: Final Changes 345 Stage 10: Rendering and Output 346 Summary 347 Q&A 348 Workshop 348 Exercise 349 Hour 23: Scripting in 3ds Max Using MAXScript 351 Programming and Scripting Basics 351 The MAXScript Tools 352 Basic MAXScript Scripting 355 Using MAXScript to Create User Interfaces 359 Summary 362 Q&A 363 Workshop 363 Exercise 364 Hour 24: Conclusion 365 Hour 24: The Final Hour 365 Developing Your Skills 366 One Piece of Advice 368 Additional Help and Guidance 369 Summary 371 Q&A 371 Workshop 372 Exercise 375 Index 377.