Autodesk 3ds Max is the application of choice for professional animators working in game design and film effects because of its amazing set of character animation tools. But while the results these professionals achieve can be stunningly complex, animating characters with 3ds Max doesn't have to be hard. Its powerful Biped module, with pre-linked and realistically constrained skeletons and its suite of motion tools, dramatically speeds up the animation process. The easy-to-follow instructions in this book will have you animating your own characters in just a few hours.

Gain a thorough understanding of animation and character rigging using Autodesk 3ds Max to create realistic character animations. This book is split into three modules that are subsequently divided into chapters. The first module is the foundation module: in this module you’ll cover, among other topics, the 12 cardinal principles of animation with reference to classic real-world examples and famous movies/animation shots. Using these, the further chapters explore using key frames and graph editors to obtain fluid motion in your animations. Practical examples are used to better explain which feature suits a particular scenario. The second module, called the backbone module, introduces you to deformation tools and their use for character animation. Further chapters cover driven animations, constraints posed by bones, bipeds, and the CAT tools available in 3ds Max 2019. The final module, the lifeline module, encourages you to bring your character to life by applying principles learnt in the previous modules. Here you will be guided on how to retarget animations from one character to other characters or rigs. On completing Character Rigging and Advance Animation, you will be able to create character rigs for bipeds and quadrupeds with ease, animating them with life-like motion. What You Will Learn Understand the 12 principles of animationSet up an animation-ready character rig from scratchMaster the deformation tools available for animation Who This Book Is For Readers who are familiar with 3ds Max at a basic level and are looking at getting into character rigging and animation.

This text provides a comprehensive guide to 3ds Max. It is packed with expert advice and includes step-by-step tutorials.

3D Studio MAX 3 Professional Animation is the only book that take you extensively through the 3D Studio MAX 3 animation process, showing you the techniques that professional animators use to create everything from simple animated particle effects to complex character animation for Web sites, video, film, and other multimedia formats. Written by a group of top-flight 3D animation professionals, this book features the real deal--real-world applications and advanced tutorials: make bipedal, quadra-pedal, and multipedal characters walk; use Cstudio's Biped and Physique; build and animate a realistic human skeleton using MAX Bones IK; create complex scripting with MAXscript to enhance MAX's capabilities; produce muscle-based, multi-layered facial expressions and lip syncs; create deformable objects and fine-tune them with space warps; display and edit trajectories; and animate cameras, lights, and atmosphere.

This text teaches the fundamentals of 3D graphics and animation, including modelling, surfacing/texturing, animating, lighting and rendering.

One look and you'll see that this 3ds Max book is different from all the others. It presents the core 3ds Max features in pages packed with striking graphics that perfectly illustrate the concepts. Each page is loaded with detailed explanations on crucial components, such as the 3ds Max interface, modeling and animation tools, rendering settings, and more. Engaging step-by-step lessons and tasks provide hands-on reinforcement as you learn. Create textures, learn rigging, bring biped characters to life—even create hair with this beautiful, full-color guide.