Harnessing 3ds Max 8 [With CDROM]

by Aaron F. Ross and Michele Bousquet

Harness the power of Autodesk registered] 3ds Max registered] 8 with the newest edition from the widely successful Harnessing 3ds Max series. Written to reflect the latest features of the 3ds Max 8... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1418048135
• ISBN13: 9781418048136
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Autodesk Press
• Length: 885 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Harnessing 3ds max 8 - A Book I've Been Waiting For

3ds max is a huge program offering literally thousands of different commands. What is doesn't have is something that says "Start Here." This is the first thing I found out when I was assigned to a project which was going to use 3ds max, and I had to learn it on-the job. I didn't have the option of returning to a university or even the time to wait for the next term to start, so I used the "read everything available" learning method. The book Harnessing 3ds max 5 ended up being the one that helped the most. Three years later, in working with others who need to jump right onto using the program, I have still been using my (now rather shredded) copy of Harnessing 3ds max 5. I have been hoping for a revised edition which would bring it up to date while keeping the best features of the old book. Harnessing 3ds max 8 does exactly that. This book breaks down the basic 3ds max functions into small enough bites that they can be understood and practiced individually. Then it's possible to experiment with them to see how else they can be used. The techniques were easy to recall and use later after doing this. There is basic information on computer graphics and the general concepts of 3D modeling and rendering. Just enough to get you thinking with how 3ds max works, but not so much that it becomes a theory study which forgets to teach how to do it. It includes a disc with short videos that visually explain the most essential points (I haven't found another book that has anything like this.) Harnessing 3ds max is organized in 3 "loops". First an introduction that ends with a simple modeling and rendering exercise that gives hands-on experience right away. Then a more thorough presentation of the basic functions with easy to understand examples and exercises. Finally more advanced modeling and rendering features are presented. Each section builds on the one before and by the end the new user has a good grasp of 3ds max basics. With the fundamentals well learned you are ready to take on more specialized books and instruction. And, more importantly, to start creating with 3ds max (that's when the real learning starts anyway!)

A welcome update to the series

This edition is an excellent revision of the previous versions. I recently acquired this one to replace my aging Harnessing Max 5. Although there are some nice color plates in the back, the real reason to buy this book is for the high quality exercises. While other books give you standard "follow-the-bouncing-ball" examples, the authors here give a thorough explanation of exactly why you are doing each step as you go. This provides a much deeper understanding of both the tool and the processes. The value of this approach simply cannot be understated. Even though this book isn't necessarily targeted for advanced users, I still regularly refer back to Harnessing myself to review certain topics when I get a bit rusty in spots. Max is a massive tool, and this book makes understanding it manageable.

This book is a revision

Hi, I'm the co-author of this book, Aaron F. Ross. I'd like to respond to "3D Prof" by pointing out that this is a revision of an existing title. The book started out its life as "Harnessing 3D Studio MAX 3" by Michele Bousquet, and I have revised it twice, adding and updating the content for 3ds Max versions 5 and 8. Criticisms such as "this book is a rehash" are founded on a misunderstanding of the purpose of a revision. This book is essentially "Harnessing 3ds Max, Third Edition." It is intended for beginners who have never used any version of 3ds Max in the past. So, the fact that much of the content has been previously published in earlier editions is not relevant to the quality of the text. Over the years, the "Harnessing" series has been adopted by many college and high school instructors in North America. Its success in the marketplace, and in the classroom, is precisely the reason why I have been given the contracts to write new editions. -- Aaron F. Ross