Page 43 - Kitab3DsMax

Preface

I’ve attempted to “laser focus” all the tutorials down to one or two key concepts. All tutorials are
designed to be completed in 10 steps or less. This means that you probably will not want to place the
results in your portfolio. For example, many of the early tutorials don’t have any materials applied
because I felt that using materials before they’ve been explained would only confuse you.
I’ve attempted to think of and use examples that are diverse, unique, and interesting, while striving to
make them simple, light, and easy to follow. I’m happy to report that every example in the book is
included on the DVD along with the models and textures required to complete the tutorial.
The tutorials often don’t start from scratch but instead give you a starting point. This approach lets me
“laser focus” the tutorials even more, and with fewer, more relevant steps, you can learn and experience
the concepts without the complexity. On the book’s DVD, you will find the Max files that are referenced
in Step 1 of most tutorials.
In addition to the starting-point files, every tutorial has been saved at the completion of the tutorial
steps. These files are marked with the word final at the end of the filename. If you get stuck in a tutorial,
simply open the final example and compare the settings.
I’ve put lots of effort into this book, and I hope it helps you in your efforts. I present this book as a start-
ing point. In each tutorial, I’ve purposely left out most of the creative spice, leaving room for you to put
it in — you’re the one with the vision.

Tenth time around
This book is now in its 10th edition, and the editors have requested some fanfare. We considered
including a slice of celebration cake with the book, but someone in marketing decided that a DVD full of
good stuff would be better (if you look closely, you can find a tutorial that features doughnuts). This
edition is packed with the maximum number of pages that can be bound into a paperback book, so if
you’re planning on taking a book to read on a subway ride, take this book and leave all the others
behind. I’d hate to think that I caused some loyal readers back pain.
Several changes have been made in this edition. Many of the older tutorials have been retired to make
room for the new features. I’ve also included a new Quick Start. And I’ve made room for new sections
throughout the book covering the new features.
Although I’ve strived to make the book comprehensive, some features have fallen by the wayside and
remain in the software only for backward compatibility. The Dynamics utility, for example, has been
replaced with the much more agile reactor system. These deprecated features are mentioned but not
covered in depth. If you need to learn about these features, I suggest you look for a previous edition of
the 3ds Max Bible where these older features were covered.

Designed for educators
Since I’ve begun teaching at the local university, I’ve begun to rethink how the book is organized.
Previous editions presented all the information on specific topics like animation together. This is a fine
approach for experienced users who are getting up to speed with Max, but for students just starting out,
this comprehensive approach easily overloads beginners before they even get out of the starting gate.
The new approach splits the book into beginning-level topics that cover modeling, animation, and ren-
dering before moving on to the advanced features in each topic. This allows the first half of the book to
be used for beginning students as an introduction to the software without digging too deep into the
advanced, trickier features.

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