3ds Max 4 Magic follows the same project-based pedagogy that has made previous Magic titles a success. The primary goals are to present changes in functionality, best practices, and inspirational effects. Each project is 10 to15 pages in length and provides instruction as well as suggestions for enhancing or modifying the project/effect. Each page is designed in a 3-column format with step-by-step instructions on the left and corresponding graphics (or code) in the middle. The third column is used to provide additional tips and tricks. Any effect, technique, or tip can easily be customized to fit the readers'

This latest edition of Inside 3ds max is retooled to focus on the needs of the intermediate to professional user, based on continuing conversations with our target audience. This market is crying out for information that goes beyond the basic to provide guidance on how to make the most use of the program in real-world work situations. Inside 3ds Max 4 explores changes in the program as well as more advanced functionalities and how they can assist the professional user in enhancing efficiency or output. Inside 3ds max 4 is organized into units that mirror and actually step through the workflow of a 3D project. Moreover, where differences exist in the application of techniques between the broadcast/film and game/interactive applications, the authors present careful analysis to assist readers in making the right choices for their technical work. The CD-ROM includes all of the project files necessary to complete the projects as well as any plug-ins referred to in the text.

Get the most realistic effects from 3ds Max without having to spend more on plug-ins! Boost your effects skill-set with this 3ds Max workshop. Tutorial lessons give you hands-on experience in creating realistic fire, earth, air and water effects. Updated to demonstrate production techniques suitable for any version of 3ds Max, this new edition is co-published by Autodesk Media and Entertainment, and includes new tutorials on entering the Earth's atmosphere, glaciers, lava eruptions and a Badlands landscape. Inspirational color images cover every page of the book as the author shares his professional techniques and workflow processes. The companion DVD contains all of the required tutorial media as well as over 6 hours of video tutorials. User level: Intermediate and advanced

Insights and ideas from an award-winning author! Expert Advice. John Chismar provides a glimpse into the way he and his team function, complete with tips and tricks to enhance reader skills. Quality tutorials. Throughout the book, Chismar presents carefully constructed exercises to demonstrate how the animations were constructed and most importantly - why they were developed using that methodology. The quality and clarity of tutorials in 3D Studio Max 3 Media Animation have been highly touted. Expect more of the same in this version! Fills a unique niche. No other book covers media animation with the detail or authority offered by John Chismar and New Riders. @SUMMARY= New Riders offers the most comprehensive coverage of 3ds max functionality of any publisher. No other book covers the start-to-finish process of developing media animations using 3ds max (the program of choice for media animators). And that is precisely what our marketplace wants! This book includes all new animations from Emmy Award Winner John Chismar. John Chismar, Senior 3d Animator at MSNBC, has been working in 3D animation since 1991 and in media animation since 1993. Using 3ds max, Chismar has garnered several awards for his work: 1997 and 1998 Emmy Awards; 3D Design magazine Big Kahuna Awards in 1998, 1999, and 2000; three Broadcast Design Association International Bronze Awards; and a 1995-96 Emmy nomination.

Experienced users gain knowledge works about 3D Graphics Studio MAX 2 from this comprehensive special effects resource. This book gets right to the point by providing the basic "recipes" for creating stunning effects. The CD-ROM contains sample models and textures to help build the effects and finished sample effects so readers can see the final result.

The book teaches skills and techniques in a way that not only provides an understanding of MAX X and its functionality but also how to apply those tools to a normal work environment by using a single, comprehensive project. Each chapter contains a section that provides an explanation of the tools, features and techniques being used, some sample exercises for reinforcement, and some of the artistic insight behind the process. The chapter concludes with the "workshop" section, which walks the reader through a series of step-by-step tutorials that culminate into a final, working project by the end of the book. The tear card, color section, tips, notes and sidebars are filled with expert advice and supplemental information and together with the chapter material provide the reader with an invaluable resource that they can return to time and again.

Showcases artwork created suing Autodesk 3dsMax.