3D Studio MAX R3 in Depth

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Visual examples and straightforward language present all MAX's significant features including advanced techniques such as rendering, lighting, and working with textures. Polevoi, an educator in 3D graphics and animation, tells how to master and customize the 3D Studio MAX 3 interface, use MAX's modifier stack, build low-poly models for games and other realtime uses, create atmospheric and rendering effects, build character skeletons using inverse kinematics, develop organic patch and NURBS models, precisely map realistic textures to 3D surfaces, create and edit animations with Track View, and edit rendered animations with Video Post. The included CD-ROM contains 50-plus MAX files with practical exercises. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. xxi)
• Part I 3D Studio MAX--The Big Picture
• Chapter 1 Thinking Like MAX (p. 3)
• The "Object" In MAX (p. 3)
• Parametric Objects (p. 4)
• Editable Mesh (p. 7)
• The Modifier Stack (p. 7)
• Using A Single Modifier (p. 7)
• Adding A Second Modifier (p. 10)
• Rearranging The Stack (p. 11)
• Instancing And Referencing (p. 14)
• A Word About Track View (p. 18)
• Chapter 2 The MAX 3 Interface (p. 21)
• Introduction To The MAX 3 Interface (p. 21)
• Customizing The Interface (p. 22)
• Managing The Tab Panel (p. 22)
• Loading And Saving Custom User Interfaces (p. 26)
• Using MAXScript (p. 27)
• Macro Scripts Behind Toolbar Buttons (p. 28)
• Creating Custom Toolbar Buttons (p. 30)
• Using MAXScript To Build Custom Dialog Boxes (p. 34)
• The Schematic View (p. 35)
• Objects And Object Hierarchies (p. 36)
• Modifiers And Instances (p. 38)
• The Isolate Tool (p. 41)
• Part II Working In Max
• Chapter 3 Selection And Transform Tools (p. 45)
• Selection Methods (p. 45)
• Direct Methods: Clicking Or Dragging (p. 45)
• Picking An Object Off A List (p. 46)
• Selecting Multiple Objects (p. 46)
• Using Named Selection Sets (p. 47)
• Grouping (p. 48)
• Grouping Vs. Parenting (Linking) (p. 48)
• Working With Groups (p. 49)
• Transform Tools (p. 49)
• Understanding Coordinate Space (p. 50)
• Selecting Transform Tools And Constraints (p. 52)
• Choosing A Coordinate System (p. 53)
• Pivot Points (p. 58)
• The True Pivot Point And Temporary Pivot Points (p. 58)
• Resetting Transforms And Bounding Boxes (p. 66)
• Linking (Parenting) Objects (p. 72)
• Using The Link And Unlink Buttons (p. 74)
• Overriding Inheritance (p. 75)
• Using Null Objects To Create Coordinate Systems (p. 76)
• Chapter 4 Managing The Display (p. 81)
• The Viewing Windows (p. 81)
• Perspective And Orthographic Views (p. 81)
• User View (p. 84)
• Viewport Navigation Tools (p. 85)
• The Min/Max Toggle (p. 85)
• The Zoom Extents Buttons (p. 85)
• The Pan Tool (p. 85)
• The Zoom And Zoom All Tools (p. 85)
• The Arc Rotate Tool (p. 86)
• Viewing And Layout Options (p. 87)
• Display Properties (p. 88)
• Hiding And Freezing Objects (p. 89)
• Grids (p. 90)
• Using The Home Grid (p. 90)
• Creating New Grids (p. 90)
• Chapter 5 Working Smart (p. 93)
• Duplicating (Cloning) Objects (p. 93)
• Cloning Basics (p. 94)
• The Array Tool (p. 97)
• The Snapshot Tool--Cloning Along A Path (p. 109)
• Mirroring Objects And Subobjects (p. 115)
• Precision Tools (p. 121)
• Snaps (p. 122)
• Alignment Tools (p. 124)
• Tape And Protractor (p. 127)
• Keyboard Shortcuts (p. 128)
• Part III Modeling
• Chapter 6 Using Primitives And Splines (p. 133)
• 3D Primitives (p. 134)
• Standard Primitives (p. 134)
• Extended Primitives (p. 139)
• 2D Primitives (p. 140)
• Splines (Bezier Splines) (p. 143)
• Terminology Confusion: Splines And NURBS (p. 143)
• Spline Creation And Editing Tools (p. 144)
• Chapter 7 Mesh-Level Modeling (p. 153)
• What Is Polygonal Mesh Modeling? (p. 153)
• Organic Modeling Vs. Low-Poly Modeling (p. 154)
• Mesh-Editing Tools Overview (p. 155)
• The Editable Mesh Object Vs. The Edit Mesh Modifier (p. 155)
• Mesh Subobject Editing (Vertices, Edges, and Faces) (p. 157)
• Vertex Sub-Object Level (p. 157)
• Face, Polygon, and Element Sub-Object Levels (p. 160)
• Edge Level (p. 172)
• Putting It Together: A Low-Polygon Head (p. 183)
• Using MeshSmooth (p. 196)
• Classic Smoothing (p. 197)
• Quad Output And NURMS Smoothing (p. 199)
• MeshSmooth In Action: A Simple Car (p. 201)
• Chapter 8 Modeling With Modifiers (p. 207)
• The Modifier Theory Of Modeling (p. 207)
• Basic Axial Deformers (p. 208)
• Bend (p. 208)
• Taper (p. 214)
• Stretch (p. 219)
• Twist (p. 220)
• Skew (p. 224)
• Noise (p. 224)
• Nonfractal Noise (p. 225)
• Fractal Noise (p. 225)
• Polygon Optimization (p. 229)
• Using The Optimize Modifier (p. 231)
• Displacement Mapping And The Displace Modifier (p. 237)
• The Displace Modifier (p. 239)
• Displacement Mapping In The Material Editor (p. 245)
• Free Form Deformation (Lattice Deformation) (p. 248)
• Spline-Based Modifiers (p. 250)
• Extrude (p. 251)
• Lathe (p. 252)
• Chapter 9 Compound Objects (p. 255)
• Loft Objects (p. 255)
• Using A Single Cross-Section Shape (p. 256)
• Display And Resolution (p. 258)
• Multiple Shapes On A Path (p. 260)
• Open Cross-Sections And Closed Paths (p. 263)
• Loft Deformation Tools (p. 263)
• Boolean Operations (p. 264)
• Using The Collapse Utility (p. 265)
• Boolean Compound Objects (p. 270)
• ShapeMerge Objects (p. 273)
• Connect (p. 275)
• Terrain (p. 278)
• Scatter (p. 281)
• Using Transforms Only (p. 281)
• Using A Distribution Object (p. 283)
• Morph Objects And Conform Objects (p. 284)
• Chapter 10 Patch Modeling (p. 287)
• Understanding Bezier Patches (p. 287)
• The Quad Patch (p. 287)
• The Tri Patch (p. 291)
• Building With Patches (p. 292)
• Adding Patches Together (p. 293)
• Coplanar And Corner Vertices (p. 295)
• Subdividing Patches And Binding Vertices To Edges (p. 299)
• Extruding Patches (p. 303)
• Creating A Torso (p. 306)
• The Basic Architecture (p. 306)
• Extruding The Arm (p. 310)
• Subdivision For Local Detail (p. 312)
• Modeling With Spline Networks (p. 315)
• The Torso Again (p. 315)
• Using The CrossSection Modifier (p. 318)
• Chapter 11 NURBS Modeling (p. 323)
• NURBS And MAX NURBS (p. 323)
• Overview Of NURBS Modeling (p. 324)
• Overview Of The MAX 3 NURBS Implementation (p. 334)
• Lofting Surfaces (p. 342)
• Creating A Loft (p. 342)
• Editing The Loft (p. 344)
• Relofting The Surface (p. 347)
• Surface Curves And Trimming (p. 348)
• Projecting A Surface Curve (p. 349)
• Surface Approximation (p. 355)
• Part IV Materials And Textures
• Chapter 12 Materials And The Material Editor (p. 361)
• What Is A Material? (p. 361)
• Materials In 3D Computer Graphics (p. 361)
• Materials In 3D Studio MAX (p. 365)
• Using The Material Editor (p. 366)
• Moving Materials Between Slots And Objects (p. 367)
• The Material/Map Browser (p. 368)
• A Couple Of Shortcuts (p. 370)
• Using The Material Library (p. 370)
• The Standard Material (p. 370)
• Phong And Blinn Shaders (p. 371)
• Metal Shader (p. 375)
• Anisotropic Shader (p. 375)
• Other Shaders (p. 376)
• Other Material Types (p. 377)
• Raytrace And Matte/Shadow Materials (p. 377)
• Multi/Sub-Object Material (p. 378)
• Composite, Blend, And Shellac Materials (p. 380)
• Top/Bottom Material And Double-Sided Materials (p. 380)
• Chapter 13 Maps And Mapping (p. 381)
• Mapping Material Parameters (p. 381)
• Maps For Standard Material Parameters (p. 382)
• Other Map Channels (p. 383)
• Using Bitmaps (p. 386)
• Creating Mapping Coordinates (p. 386)
• Procedural Maps (p. 412)
• 2D Maps (p. 412)
• 3D Maps (p. 413)
• Reflections, Refractions, And Ray Tracing (p. 416)
• True Object Reflections And Refractions (p. 416)
• Using Reflection Maps (p. 416)
• Part V Lights, Camera, Render!
• Chapter 14 Lights (p. 421)
• Lighting In Computer Graphics (p. 421)
• Diffuse Reflection And Global Illumination (p. 421)
• Ambient Light (p. 423)
• Shadow Casting (p. 425)
• Inclusion And Exclusion Of Objects (p. 426)
• Light Types And Their Parameters (p. 428)
• Creating Lights (p. 429)
• Setting General Parameters (p. 429)
• Attenuation (p. 432)
• Shadows (p. 434)
• Basic Shadow Parameters (p. 434)
• Choosing Between Ray Traced Shadows And Shadow Maps (p. 436)
• Using The Light Lister (p. 439)
• Chapter 15 Cameras (p. 443)
• Creating And Transforming Target Cameras (p. 443)
• Creating And Transforming Free Cameras (p. 445)
• Camera Parameters (p. 448)
• Converting Between Camera Types (p. 448)
• Adjusting Field-Of-View (p. 449)
• Clipping Planes (p. 449)
• Camera Viewports And Navigation (p. 450)
• Dollying The Camera (p. 450)
• The Field-Of-View Tool (p. 451)
• The Perspective Tool (p. 451)
• Rolling The Camera (p. 452)
• Trucking The Camera (p. 453)
• Orbiting The Camera (p. 454)
• Panning The Camera (p. 454)
• Chapter 16 Rendering Tools (p. 457)
• Rendering Essentials (p. 457)
• Production And Draft Rendering Configurations (p. 457)
• The Virtual Frame Buffer (p. 459)
• Outputing To Disk (p. 461)
• Rendering Animation (p. 461)
• Output Size And Other Options (p. 465)
• Rendering Regions And Selections (p. 466)
• MAX Scanline Rendering Options (p. 468)
• Motion Blur (p. 470)
• Anti-Aliasing (p. 474)
• Rendering Previews (p. 476)
• Chapter 17 Environment And Render Effects (p. 479)
• Render Effects (p. 479)
• Lens Effects (p. 481)
• Other Render Effects (p. 492)
• Environment (p. 494)
• Environment Maps (p. 495)
• Atmospheric Effects (p. 497)
• Chapter 18 Using Video Post (p. 519)
• The Video Post Queue (p. 519)
• Video Post Events (p. 519)
• The Video Post Panel (p. 520)
• Video Post Essentials (p. 521)
• First Steps In Video Post (p. 521)
• Adding A Fade (p. 525)
• Cutting Between Views Or Cameras (p. 527)
• Adding A Cross Fade (p. 530)
• Using Prerendered Sequences (p. 532)
• Part VI Animation
• Chapter 19 Animation Essentials (p. 537)
• What Is Animation In 3D Studio MAX? (p. 537)
• Understanding Function Curves (p. 538)
• Working With Keys (p. 539)
• Managing Keys In Track View (p. 540)
• Using The Animate Button (p. 548)
• Using The Track Bar (p. 550)
• Ranges And Out-Of-Range Types (p. 553)
• Using Child And Parent Ranges (p. 553)
• Out-Of-Range Parameters (p. 555)
• Chapter 20 Animating The Transforms (p. 559)
• Transforms And Controllers (p. 559)
• Animating Position (p. 560)
• The Bezier Position And Position XYZ Controllers (p. 560)
• The Path Controller (p. 576)
• Other Position Controllers (p. 587)
• Animating Rotations (p. 590)
• The TCB Rotation Controller (p. 592)
• The Euler XYZ Controllers (p. 595)
• Inverse Kinematics (p. 598)
• Inverse Kinematics In MAX (p. 598)
• Animating A Step With Bones (p. 599)
• Animating Scale (p. 607)
• Chapter 21 Deforming The Geometry (p. 609)
• Introduction To 3D Character Animation (p. 609)
• Skeletal Deformation (p. 610)
• Morphing (p. 610)
• Modifiers And Space Warps (p. 611)
• The Skin Modifier (p. 612)
• Getting Started (p. 612)
• Vertex Weighting (p. 613)
• Adjusting The Envelopes (p. 616)
• Using Editable Mesh Cages (p. 620)
• The Morpher Modifier (p. 629)
• Creating Morph Targets (p. 629)
• Applying The Morpher Modifier (p. 630)
• Making The Most Of Targets (p. 632)
• Animating The Morphs (p. 634)
• Morphing Materials (p. 635)
• The XForm And Linked XForm Modifiers (p. 636)
• Cluster Animation With A MeshSmoothed Cage (p. 636)
• Using A Finished Mesh (p. 638)
• Animating The Cluster With Linked XForm (p. 638)
• Other Deformation Tools (p. 639)
• Path And Surface Deformation (p. 639)
• Flex (p. 641)
• Chapter 22 Special Animation Topics (p. 643)
• Space Warps (p. 643)
• Two Classes Of Space Warps (p. 644)
• Space Warps For Geometric Deformation (p. 646)
• Dynamic Simulations (p. 651)
• A Basic Simulation (p. 651)
• Adding Collisions (p. 655)
• Particle Systems (p. 657)
• Choosing A Particle System (p. 657)
• Particle Generation And Rendering (p. 661)
• Controlling Particle Streams With Space Warps (p. 664)
• Animating With Expressions (p. 667)
• Expressions For Interdependent Animation (p. 668)
• Expressions Based On Time (p. 674)
• Index (p. 677)

Author notes provided by Syndetics