3ds Max 2014 Essentials: Autodesk Official Training Guide

Description
Welcome to Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 Essentials. The world of computer-generated imagery (CG) is fun and ever-changing. Whether you are new to CG in general or are a CG veteran new to 3ds Max, youll find this book the perfect primer. It introduces you to Autodesk 3ds Max and shows how you can work with the program to create your art, whether it is animated or static in design. This book exposes you to all facets of 3ds Max by introducing and plainly explaining its tools and functions to help you understand how the program operates but it does not stop there. This book also explains the use of the tools and the ever-critical concepts behind the tools. Youll find hands -on examples and tutorials that give you valuable experience with the toolsets. Working through these will develop your skills and the conceptual knowledge that will carry you to further study with confidence. These tutorials expose you to various ways to accomplish tasks with this intricate and comprehensive artistic tool. These chapters will give you the confidence you need to venture deeper into 3ds Maxs feature set, either on your own or by using any of 3ds Maxs other learning tools and books as a guide. Learning to use a powerful tool such as 3ds Max can be frustrating. You need to pace yourself. The major complaints CG book readers have are that the pace is too fast and that the steps are too complicated or overwhelming. Addressing those complaints is a tough nut to crack, to be sure. No two readers are the same. However, this book offers the opportunity to run things at your own pace. The exercises and steps may seem confusing at times, but keep in mind that the more you try and the more you fail at some attempts, the more you will learn how to operate 3ds Max. Experience is king when learning the workflow necessary for any software program, and with experience come failure and aggravation. But try and try again. You will find that further attempts will always be easier and more fruitful. Above all, however, this book aims to inspire you to use 3ds Max as a creative tool to achieve and explore your own artistic vision. Prerequisites

No previous 3d experience is necessary. A working knowledge of Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000.

Class Information
Suggested Duration Objective 1 day or 3 days To provide new 3ds Max users an understanding of the softwares core functionality and features so that they can create, edit, and organize their 3ds project. Users will have a solid grounding in the software so that they can immediately be productive. New 3ds Max 2014 users or other Autodesk software users who want to learn the core features and functionality of 3ds Max 2014.

Who Should Attend

Single and Three Day Course Description

These courses are designed to present a basic overview of 3ds Max for those unfamiliar with the software. This syllabus provides a structure to help the student become familiar enough with 3ds Max to perform basic tasks. The single day class is designed to give users a general overview of the 3ds Max, present the concepts of modeling, animating, texturing, lighting and rendering. The single day class can provide a foundation for people that need a general understanding of 3ds Max concepts but who will not be using 3ds Max on a daily basis. The three day class starts with the one day program but continues with further instruction needed to create 3d projects. Both the single day and three day class formats are set up with six, seventy minute sessions per day. Each session is devoted partly to lecture and partly to lab exercises. You may choose to shift the times allocated to the different parts of the session to better suit your style of teaching. If so, you should adjust the section break points appropriately. Consider offering a short break between the seventy minute sessions or at least one break in the morning and one in the afternoon. Since these one and three day courses are so short and the software so complex, you as the instructor are limited in what you can provide to the students. You may want to encourage the students to review course related chapters in 3ds Max 2014 Essentials to reinforce topics covered in the classroom. Learning 3ds Max requires hands-on experience. Most chapters of provide step-by-step instructions for accomplishing general tasks. Whenever possible, you should encourage your students to experiment whether in the classroom or on their own systems.

General Class Format

Learning about 3ds Max requires hands-on experience, and the hands-on experience works best soon after formal presentation of the material. This means that you should try to intersperse lectures and labs. A typical class session will be 70 minutes long, broken down roughly as follows: 10 minutesReview of previous sessions material 20 minutesLecture 40 minutesLab In addition, you may want to offer a brief Q and A session after the lab as time permits. Most chapters of the book consume two sessions. Of course, you may have your own preferred structure, and some days will require changes.

One-Day Course Syllabus

Session 1 (70 min)
Introductions and course overview. Be sure to take some time to get to know your students. Pay particular attention to their relative skill levelsask them to introduce themselves and also ask why they may be interested in 3ds Max. You might also ask about the

field of work the student is involved in. This knowledge will help you adjust the level of your lecture material for your class. Chapter 1, The 3ds Max Interface This is a basic introduction to 3ds Max showing the student the layout of 3ds Maxs Interface and the various parts. The goal is to help the student become familiar with 3ds Max and to identify the parts of the window for future reference.

Session 2 (70 min)

Chapter 2, Your First 3ds Max Project This is an introduction to modeling concepts and workflows in general. It shows you how to model using 3ds Max tools with polygonal meshes and modifiers to create a bedroom dresser. .

Session 3 (70 min)

Chapter 5, Animating a Bouncing Ball Shows you the basics of 3ds Max animation techniques and workflow using a bouncing ball. You will also learn how to use the Track View - Curve Editor to time, edit, and finesse your animation..

Lunch Break Session 4 (70 min)

Chapter 10, Introduction to Materials: Interiors and Furniture Shows you how to assign textures and materials to your models. You will learn to texture the room and furniture from Chapter 3 and 4, as you learn the basics of working with 3ds Maxs materials and UVW mapping.

Session 5 (70 min)

Chapter 14, Introduction to Lighting: Interior Lighting Begins by showing you how to light a 3D scene with the three-point lighting system. It then shows you how to use the tools to create and edit 3ds Max lights for illumination, shadows, and special lighting effects. You will light the room and furniture to which you added materials in Chapter 10.

Session 6 (70 min)

Chapter 15, 3ds Max Rendering Explains how to create image files from your 3ds Max scene and how to achieve the best look for your animation by using proper cameras and rendering settings when you render the interior and furniture.

Three-Day Course Syllabus Day 1

Session 1 (70 min)
Introductions and course overview. Be sure to take some time to get to know your students. Pay particular attention to their relative skill levelsask them to introduce themselves and also ask why they may be interested in 3ds Max. You might also ask about the field of work the student is involved in. This knowledge will help you adjust the level of your lecture material for your class. Chapter 1, The 3ds Max Interface This is a basic introduction to 3ds Max showing the student the layout of 3ds Maxs Interface and the various parts. The goal is to help the student become familiar with 3ds Max and to identify the parts of the window for future reference.

Session 2 (70 min)

Chapter 2, Your First 3ds Max Project This is an introduction to modeling concepts and workflows in general. It shows you how to model using 3ds Max tools with polygonal meshes and modifiers to create a bedroom dresser.

Session 3 (70 min)

Chapter 3, Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part I Takes your modeling lesson from Chapter 2 a step further by showing you how to model an interior space and furniture.

Session 4 (70 min)

Chapter 4, Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part II Takes your modeling lesson from Chapter 2 a step further by showing you how to model an interior space and furniture.

Session 5 (70 min)

Chapter 5, Animating a Bouncing Ball Shows you the basics of 3ds Max animation techniques and workflow using a bouncing ball. You will also learn how to use the Track View - Curve Editor to time, edit, and finesse your animation..

Session 6 (70 min)

Chapter 6, Animating a Thrown Knife Rounds out your animation experience by exploring the animation concepts of weight, follow-through, and anticipation when you animate a knife thrown at a target.

Day 2

Session 7 (70 min)

Chapter 7, Character Poly Modeling, Part I Introduces you to the first of three chapters on creating a low polygon mesh character model of a soldier. In this chapter, you begin by blocking out the primary parts of the body.

Session 8 (70 min)

Chapter 8, Character Poly Modeling, Part II Continues the soldier model, focusing on using the Editable Poly toolset. You will finish the body and add hands and boots.

Session 9 (70 min)

Chapter 9, Character Poly Modeling, Part III Shows you how to finish the model of the special operations soldier started in Chapter 7. You will create the head and merge in elements such as goggles and a face mask and integrate them into the scene.

Lunch Break Session 10 (70 min)

Chapter 10, Introduction to Materials: Interiors and Furniture Shows you how to assign textures and materials to your models. You will learn to texture the room and furniture from Chapter 3 and 4, as you learn the basics of working with 3ds Maxs materials and UVW mapping.

Session 11 (70 min)

Chapter 11, Textures and UV Workflow: The Soldier Furthers your understanding of materials and textures as well as introducing UV workflows in preparing and texturing the soldier.

Session 12 (70 min)

Chapter 12, Character Studio: Rigging covers the basics of Character Studio in creating a biped system and associating the biped rig to the soldier model.

Day 3
Session 13 (70 min)
Chapter 13, Character Studio: Animating

Expands on Chapter 12 to show you how to use Character Studio to create and edit a walk cycle using the soldier model.

Session 14 (70 min)

Chapter 14, Introduction to Lighting: Interior Lighting Begins by showing you how to light a 3D scene with the three-point lighting system. It then shows you how to use the tools to create and edit 3ds Max lights for illumination, shadows, and special lighting effects. You will light the room and furniture to which you added materials in Chapter 10.

Session 15 (70 min)

Chapter 15, 3ds Max Rendering Explains how to create image files from your 3ds Max scene and how to achieve the best look for your animation by using proper cameras and rendering settings when you render the interior and furniture.

Lunch Break Session 16 (70 min)

Chapter 16, mental ray Shows you how to render with mental ray. Using Final Gather, you will learn how to use indirect lighting as well as get a brief introduction to HDRI lighting

Session 17 (70 min)

Chapter 16, mental ray (cont.) Shows you how to render with mental ray. Using Final Gather, you will learn how to use indirect lighting as well as get a brief introduction to HDRI lighting