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		3D Buzz :: 3ds Max :: Mastering 3dsMax: The Fundamentals


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Mastering 3dsMax: The Fundamentals

3ds Max Fundamentals is your one-stop ticket to mastering virtually every element of this powerful 3D application! Starting from the most basic of concepts and taking you all the way to character animations and special effects, this class covers everything you need to become a true master of 3ds Max!

3ds Max Fundamentals serves as your launch pad into the world of 3ds Max. Even if you've never touched a 3D application before, you'll receive a full introduction to 3D space, as well as the entire 3ds Max user interface. The idea is to get you into a full understanding of the program's interface, as well as to make sure that you're comfortable navigating through 3D scenes. From there, you'll dive into the creation of three projects which will provide you with a working knowledge of practically each and every system within 3ds Max.

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		Learn through a series of fun projects or create your own variations

Project 1: The Talented Ball
As soon as you have acquired a basic grasp of 3ds Max's interface, it's time to jump into your first project. This is where you really get a chance to get your hands dirty with the software, creating your first fully modeled, animated, textured, and rendered scene. The project depicts a bouncing ball character who leaps out onto a curtained stage for a talent show! You'll be introduced to the concepts of keyframe animation, and how keyframes and animation curves are created and edited to provide total control of the look of your scene's animation. You'll see how 3ds Max's Modifier Stack can be used to create not only a tremendous variety of effects, but how those effects can be animated to add an incredible amount of detail and character to your scenes, such as a cartoon-like squash and stretch for your ball character as he bounces across the stage! You'll also see how reactive animation is handled inside of 3ds Max with the Reaction Manager, as well as how you can use it to create automated 'rig' for characters in your scene, and how to make easy-to-use control systems for various scene elements! From there, you'll be introduced to the Material Editor, learning how materials are controlled through texture maps. Once your scene is fully textured, you'll see how to light and render the animation, as well as how to convert your frames to a final movie using Video Post.
Project 2: When F-14s Attack
The second project of 3ds Max Fundamentals covers a multi-scene animation in which two F-14 fighters take off from an aircraft carrier under cover of night to strike an enemy installation! The project focuses on the use of a custom multi asset pipeline using Max's XRef feature to allow for easy editing of scene assets without having to make dramatic changes to the scene. You'll start off with an in-depth look at 3ds Max's reference coordinate systems, and how they can be used to create a wide variety of custom transforms tailored to your specific needs. You'll also be introduced to 3ds Max's Editable Poly object, and how you can use its included modeling tools to create any shape imaginable. You'll also see how Max's splines can be used to create objects using the Surface Modifier. The animation for the project will cover many scenes and camera angles, including the takeoff of the F-14 fighter jets, their midair rendezvous, and a missile strike on a target oil rig. As you progress through each lesson, you'll learn a different aspect of scene creation and management including modeling, UVW unwrapping and texturing, material animation, constraint animation, and particle animation as you create missiles complete with thrusters, contrails, and a resulting explosion!
Project 3: Dragon's First Birthday
Project 3 turns the heat up a notch as you create your first fully modeled, textured, rigged, and animated bipedal character! The animation for this project depicts a baby dragon celebrating his first birthday, but things go a bit wrong when he gets a little overexcited while blowing out his candle! This is easily the most advanced project of the class. Starting with the creation of a simple scene, you'll quickly be moved onto one of the most daunting tasks for an upcoming animator: The creation of your first bipedal character animation; an important milestone in mastering any 3D animation software. You'll see how to create the character using polygon tools, as well as how to unwrap its UVWs and apply a custom texture. From there, we cover the creation of a complete character rig from scratch, rather than simply relying on the prefabricated Biped rig included with 3ds Max. In so doing, you'll get to see exactly how bones work, how to properly apply inverse kinematics (IK), and how to apply control objects to turn your character into an easily controllable digital puppet. Once the rig is constructed, you'll see how to attach your model's geometry to the skeleton through the process of skinning using Max's Skin Modifier. You'll see how you can control and edit the skinning of your character to create a realistic look of flexibility and deformation as the character moves. The animation for the dragon will consist of a simple walk cycle, a couple of hop sequences where he tries to blow out a candle on his cake, and then a short sequence where in the excitement, he accidentally takes flight and incinerates the entire cake. You'll see how to create animation using rotoscoping, and how to add facial expressions using Morph Targets.


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These clips will give you a taste of the high level of quality and detail you'll find in the rest of the course. Please remember that these selections are just a very small portion of the over 105 hours that make up this product


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		Video Title


		Fundamentals Intro Intro to 3ds Max Fundamentals 2D vs. 3D User Interface Introduction Viewports Menu Bar Main Toolbar Status Bar Command Panel Animation Controls Wrapping Up the UI Scene Creation Overview Creating Objects Transforming Objects Cloning Grouping Linking Fundamentals Proj 1-1 Overview of the Talented Ball Storyboarding our Scene Creating the Stage and Ball Cutting in the Stage Door Creating the Stage Door Creating the Microphone Creating the Stool Creating the Curtains Finalizing the Set Fundamentals Proj 1-2 Animation Lesson Overview Intro to Animation Working with Time Keyframe Animation Animating the Ball Intro to Curve Editor Working with Animation Curves, Pt I Working with Animation Curves, Pt II Refining Animation Intro to Controllers Reactive Animation Custom Attributes Intro to Helpers Creating Stage Controls Animating the Set Intro to Squash and Stretch Animating the Stretch Modifier Animating the Bend Modifier Intro to Curtain Sway Intro to Poly Select Modifier Intro to Soft Selection Intro to Flex Modifier Intro to Deflectors Making Curtains Sway Creating an Automation Rig Extending the Control Rig Fundamentals Proj 1-3 Material Editor Lesson Overview Material Editor Menu Bar Material Editor Sample Slots Material Editor Vertical Toolbar Material Editor Horizontal Toolbar Standard Material Parameters Applying Basic Materials Basic Light Types Lighting and Adding Shadows Adding a Camera to the Scene Rendering the Scene Using the RAM Player Using Video Post Project One Conclusion


		Sounds Great! - but I still have questions...

What makes 'Mastering 3ds Max: The Fundamentals' different from other training videos?

Training in 3ds Max and 3D animation is becoming more and more accessible every year. Across the Web, in colleges and technical schools, even in your local bookstore, you can find volumes of knowledge in one form or another. What you can virtually never find is a comprehensive source of knowledge that is catered to the absolute newcomer, and capable of bringing anyone from beginner to intermediate/advanced levels of proficiency in 3ds Max. The Mastering 3ds Max: The Fundamentals program is engineered to do just that. Moreover, it is designed to keep the information flowing in a smooth, easy-to-understand manner that is engaging and highly entertaining! You won’t have to worry about boring monotonous lecture material; the instructors keep everything upbeat and on-target, whether you’re talking about simply navigating Maya’s interface or discussing highly technical special effects! Plus, there is nowhere on the planet where you can get this level of professional-quality education for anywhere near this price!

Are there any prerequisites for watching this content?

The only prerequisite for Mastering 3ds Max: The Fundamentals is that you know how to use your computer. Nothing else is assumed of the viewer. The lectures introduce you to such rudimentary concepts as the nature of 2D vs. 3D space, and any past experience you may have with a 3D package is simply a bonus.

What version of 3ds Max is used in the content? Will I need the same version?

The content was recorded using 3ds Max 8. However, since the primary nature of the course is to stick to many of the fundamental aspects of the program, you will likely be able to follow along with virtually any version of 3ds Max. Most of the basic workings of the program have not changed, though we cannot guarantee that all parts of the projects will work flawlessly using any version earlier than 8.

Will these DVDs play on a standalone DVD player?

No, the content will not play on a regular DVD player, it is intended for use in a PC that has a DVD-ROM drive.

What codec is needed to view the files?

You may view the video files with the XviD codec, which can be downloaded for free from www.xvid.org.

I heard that the videos are watermarked. Can you explain what this means?

In order to protect our content from illegal distribution and to safeguard your investment, we have implemented a video watermark system. The faint video watermark is on some of the videos, and will contain your name and address. The information on the watermarks will be used as evidence should the videos be illegally distributed.

Do you accept payment through PayPal?

Yes, we do, but only your account must be verified through PayPal and your shipping address must be confirmed. The only forms of payment we accept are credit card and PayPal.

How long will it take for my DVDs to ship?

Your DVD's must be custom encoded at our facilities to include your personal watermark. This process can take anywhere from 1 to 5 business days to complete, though most orders are shipped within 48 hours.

Why is shipping so high for the US?

Shipping in the US is approximately $15. This as a production and shipping fee, helping to cover not only the actual shipment, but also the process of encoding, burning, and printing.

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We only ship to the verified billing address. If other arrangements for shipping are required, we will need to verify the new location. This verification process is in place for your security, and for the security of our content.

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SKU SKU_38

Weight 1.00 lbs

Price: $99.99

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