InfiniteSkills Learning 3D Studio Max 2012 - Training DVD (PC/Mac)

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3DS Max 2012
Number of Videos: 130 Lessons - 15.25 Hours Duration
Ships on: DVD-ROM
User Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Works On: Windows 7,Vista,XP- Mac OS X

In this video tutorial on 3ds Max 2012, expert author and animator Brian Mennenoh introduces you to the many features of this 3D modeling and animation software from AutoDesk. Brian has over 20 years experience working with 3D, and his engaging teaching style draws you in and allows you to enjoy the sometimes complex intricacies of such a powerful software program. Using a single project throughout the whole training course, you will learn how to use the interface and a good production workflow, several modeling techniques, material creation, basic lighting, camera setups, matching a camera to a background image, rendering settings and more. At the end of the lessons you will have created a robot and a fully skinned fairy, rigged with bones, battling with crayons after their kids walked away from a coloring project. By the completion of this computer based training course, you will have a solid foundation in 3ds Max and be able to start working on your own projects, building on the knowledge gained throughout the lessons. Extensive working files are included to allow you to work alongside the author in this project, learning with the same files that he is using in the training.

Topics covered on this training video include:-

01. Introduction And Project Overview
Welcome - About This Course
Using The Project Files

02. Introduction To The Interface
Getting Familiar With Where Things Are
The Command Panel
Working Within The Viewports
Right-Click Menus
Navigating With The Mouse
Creating Primitives And Parametric Objects
Transforming Objects Using The Transform Tools
Considering Keyboard Shortcuts
Customizing The Interface
Customizing The Quad Menus
Using Modifiers And The ""Stack""

03. Modeling The Robot
Setting Up Units And Working At A Real World Scale
Setting Up Modeling Planes For The Robot
Using Appropriate Primitives
Upper Arm And Shoulder
Lower Arm And Claw
Spline Modeling The Head
Lathing A Jet Pack
Lofting A Jet Pack
Using Primitives For The Legs
Box Modeling The Foot
Box Modeling The Helmet Crest
Poly Modeling The Eye Area
Fine Tuning

04. Modeling The Fairy
Setting Up Modeling Planes For The Fairy
Box Modeling The Torso
Modeling The Leg
Modeling The Foot
Adding The Arm
Starting The Hand
Adding Fingers
Making Adjustments
Adding A Thumb
Starting The Face
The Cheek And Nose
The Nostril
Correcting The Flow
The Forehead Cheek And Chin
Closing The Skull
Neck And Jaw Line
Lips
Starting The Ear
The Ear Interior
Finishing The Ear
Attaching The Ear To The Head
A Simple Eye
Adding The Breast And Adjusting The Butt
Mirroring And Attaching Everything Together
Using Splines For The Wings
Bringing It All Together

05. Hair And Fur And Cloth
Growing Hair And Fur On The Model
Growing Hair And Fur On A Scalp Object
Using Splines For Hair And Fur
A Simple Shirt
A Simple Skirt

06. Materials
Understanding UVWs
Unwrap UVW And Maxs' Viewport Canvas
Material Libraries That Ship With Max
Customizing Materials
Adding Realism To Materials
Using Material IDs To Add A Glow Effect
Adding Details
Using Photoshop To Paint Diffuse Maps
Finishing The Robot's Materials
Unwrapping The Fairy - Placing Seams
Pelt Mapping
Organizing UVs
Fine Tuning The UVs With Peel
Unwrapping The Shirt And Skirt
Using Photoshop To Make Materials For The Shirt And Skirt
Finishing The Fairy's Materials

07. Rigging, Hierarchies, IK And FK
Pivot Points And Hierarchical Linking
Fixing The Robot's Shoulders
Adjusting The Knees And Adding Leg Bones
Pelvis And Spine Bones
Arm And Finger Bones
Finishing The Finger Bones And Mirroring
Using IK Solvers
Setting Up A Basic Control Rig
Basic Parameter Wiring For The Fingers
More Parameter Wiring
Fixing The Pivot Point Of The Fairy
Starting The Skinning Process For The Fairy
More Skinning
Finishing The Skinning
Using Mirror Mode In The Skin Modifier
The Skin Morph Modifier
A Basic Eye Rig And The Lookat Constraint

08. Compositing And Lighting
Understanding The Scene
Placing The Photograph In The Viewport
Matte Shadow Materials And The Environment Background
Refining The Shadow Catching Objects
Adding Reflections To Matte Shadow Materials
Building The Crayon
Creating The Crayon Label In Photoshop
Applying The Crayon Labels In 3ds Max
Merging The Robot And Fairy
Creating Matte Shadow Materials With Mental Ray

09. Animating The Battle
Storyboards Save Time
Places Everyone
Blocking Scene 1 And 2
Blocking The Fairy In Scene 3
Continue Blocking The Fairy In Scene 3
Blocking The Robot In Scene 3
Continue Blocking The Robot In Scene 3
Blocking Scene 4
Discussion Of The 'Principles Of Animation'
The Fairy Picking Up A Crayon
The Robot Picking Up A Crayon
Refining The Robot's Movements
Continue Refining The Robot
Refining The Fairy's Movements
Continue Refining The Fairy
More Refining
Animating The Fairy's Wings
Adding Motion Blur In Mental Ray
Hair Dynamics
Cloth Simulation

10. Particle Systems
Introduction To Particles
Using Gravity And Deflectors
Particle Materials And Motion Blur
Matte Crayons And The Push Modifier
Using PArray For Fairy Sparkles
Using PCloud For Fairy Sparkles
Effective Use Of Preview Rendering

11. Rendering
Render Settings

12. Conclusion
Thanks For Watching

13. About The Author
A Brief History