Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4

Product Review

Model and animate an alien, a remote control, and a rover vehicle! Through hands-on, step-by-step tutorials and directly relevant discussions, Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4 entices readers to participate in the process of taking a full 30-second animated commercial for a realistic model company - Ion Z Batteries - from concept through to completion. Developing project requirements by reviewing storyboards and planning a live video shoot for 3D element integration is just the beginning! As they progress through this thoroughly engaging and fast-paced book, readers will also experiment with various styles of modeling and skinning techniques; gain expertise using IK controllers; develop user interfaces to simplify complicated animation techniques and implement MaxScript for further animation control; create and apply global illumination; use procedure maps and PhotoShop to generate textures for objects in the scene; apply proper rendering techniques; and complete post-production editing with Discreet's Combustion. Ideal for anyone with an interest in digital art, 3D modeling, or animation, this all-inclusive introduction to contemporary industry techniques is centered on producing a professional product for a client, takes optimal advantage of leading-edge 3ds max 4 tools and options to develop a seamless character setup, and is perfect for users of all abilities.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(22 customer reviews)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

Highest Possible Recommendation., December 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4 (One-Off) (Paperback)

When you will receive the book. You first toughts will be.
"that book is not that thick, there must be an error..."Dont let that fool you. The book is really a big 630 pages.I have bought other max books and this one is one of the top books i would recommend.My recipee so far to learn max.Visual quickstart guide for max 4. This book will get you up and running.Modeling a caracter in 3d studio max.Different modeling techniques from Paul Steed.And this book.I have other ones but they do not compare to these 3 books so far.Ok enuff of the cheap pops.Inside you will have tons of photos, maxscripts, and a nice companion cd to boot.Also in this amazing book you will learn:Business side of the 3d business, do's and don'ts.
An Overview of what you should do to save time and money and to make money.Modeling: the set up (virtual studio) tutorial alone is worth the price of the book. This set up for reference and modeling is the easiest one...Read more

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Best Max Book... Ever...., February 6, 2002

Nicholas Stevenson "TwistedSheep" (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4 (One-Off) (Paperback)

Hello, I have been into the Max 4 scene for quite some time, specifically the Scifi Art and Meshes area, relating to Star Trek, Babylon 5, and as of late, there has been a lot of original workI have been having trouble learning just how these ships take shape, modeling has always been a daunting task, and seemed just too large to overcome.. But I have bought my share of books trying to understand it...I have tried 5 different books just trying to understand modeling, I own 2 others but for their special effects chapters...And all 5 of the books are extremely basic and just plain sorry when it comes down to detailed modeling.. They are all skimming the surface and nothing in depth...
Something along the lines of
'Ok, now we are going to build some supports for our bridge, create a circle spline and extrude it to a value of 10', since when has bridge struts been perfect cylinders? that is why modeling has always been such a difficult task, when I try one of my books,...Read more

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Best all around 3ds max book you can buy, November 28, 2001

Ryan Bartusek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering the Art of Production with 3ds max 4 (One-Off) (Paperback)

I have been searching for a book like this since I started learning 3ds max. It is hands down the best book I have purchased. It explains each part of a project from negociating a contract to each step of the production. I still can't believe how they could cram so much good information in so few pages (about 600). 100% recommended.