<>Full Color!   In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself 3ds Max in 24 Hours will help you master Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 and use it to create outstanding 3D content for games, video, film, and motion graphics. Using this book’s straightforward, step-by-step approach, you’ll master powerful 3ds Max tools for modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, and more. Every lesson builds on what you’ve already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success!   Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common 3ds Max tasks. “Try It Yourself” guided mini tutorials offer quick hands-on experience with 3ds Max’s key tools. Quizzes and exercises test your knowledge. Notes, tips, and cautions offer extra information and alert you to possible problems.   Learn how to... Quickly get comfortable with the 3ds Max 2014 interface Create, move, and modify 3D objects Edit and tweak the elements of any object Start modeling hard-surface and organic objects Work with materials and textures Explore and create animation Illuminate scenes with lighting Use cameras to control a scene’s point of view Render 3D creations for production Rig and skin objects, making them easier to animate Learn the 12 essential principles of character animation Create devastating dynamic simulations Add visual effects, cloth, hair, and fur Automate repetitive tasks with MAXScript Create a professional-quality showcase The accompanying DVD/website contain how-to videos for dozens of key 3ds Max 2014 tasks, extensive sample art and models, and additional bonus content.

Table of Contents:
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