3ds Max 8 Essentials
Autodesk Media and Entertainment Courseware

Welcome to the Autodesk Media and Entertainment Official Training Courseware for 3ds Max 8 software! Consider this book an all-access pass to the production and training experience of Autodesk developers and training experts. Written for self-paced learning or instructor-led classroom training, the manual will teach you the fundamentals of using 3ds Max 8. The book is organized into sections dedicated to animation, modelling, materials, lighting and rendering. Each section covers basic theory, and then includes exercises for hands-on demonstration of the concept. By the end of the book, you will have mastered the basics and moved onto full-length projects. Flexibility is built in, so that you can complete the tutorials in the way that works best for you. Complete the book and you will be a seasoned 3ds Max pro, ready to work confidently in a production environment.

Installation; Introduction to Computer Graphics, 3D Animation, and 3DS Max; User Interface; Working with Files and Objects; Overview Lab; Transforming Objects; Basic Animation Techniques; Creating an Animation and Changing Controller Types; Animation Lab; Shapes; More Objects and Modifiers; Low Poly Modeling; Environment and Low-Poly Creation Lab; Introduction to the Material Editor; Creating Mapped Materials; Materials Lab; Basic Lighting; Basics of Advanced Lighting; Rendering with Advanced Lighting; Cameras and Rendering; Scene Creation Lab; Full Day Lab; Index

Professional Practice & Development

Autodesk's Media and Entertainment division produces award-winning software tools designed for digital media creation, management and delivery across all disciplines: from film and television visual effects, color grading and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive, and design visualization. Autodesk Media and Entertainment is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.