3D Studio MAX in Motion: Basics Using 3D Studio MAX 4.2 [Paperback]

3D Studio MAX™ in Motion is a text that commits to covering all the basics of the 3D Studio MAX program, which produces, with your help, realistic renderings of still images and animations. With a few skills and techniques at your fingertips, you will be impressed with the professional results you can accomplish. If you have half the fun reading the text and completing the labs that we had in writing them, you are in for a wonderful time. And, if what learning theorists say is true and you learn better when you can combine learning with pleasure, then picking up this book is just the first step toward your newfound skill and expertise.

3D Studio MAX™ in Motion combines a theoretical approach with accompanying hands-on activities to instruct you on the reasons for your actions while you experience the actions. It is our hope that whether you are in a school setting, the business world, or your basement office, you can pick up the text and learn from it in a progressive fashion. It is designed to be a positive learning experience for the individual who knows just the basics about both computers and CAD, and an enriching experience for those who are experts in CAD but wish to add a new dimension.

• Practical Applications chapters in a variety of areas, including architectural, mechanical motion, and graphic arts
• An accompanying CD-ROM with a variety of features, including
• A materials library
• Bitmap images
• Scenes (3D models)
• Still renderings
• Animation
• Questions and Assignments at the end of each chapter
• Lights ...Camera...Action boxes introduce special tips and tricks that help you achieve your animation goals
• Tool icons throughout the text help you to follow the path to the correct command every time, even in an unknown land
• More than 1000 images create a vivid picture of each action and part of the process
• A full-color insert shows the results of the completed projects and other illustrations
• A tear-out Quick Chart shows all the shortcut keys
• An instructor's manual includes a test bank of true/false, multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions for each chapter

The text is divided into six parts, plus appendices, that explore all the basics of 3D Studio MAX. They include, in the following order:

• Introduction to Computer Animation
• Exploring 3D Studio MAX
• Preparing for 3D Modeling
• 3D Modeling
• Presentation
• Practical Applications

Each chapter begins with a section of theory and ends with a lab that complements and extends the theory presented in that chapter. The labs progress in complexity while simultaneously decreasing hand-holding instruction.