Lynda.com 3ds Max 2011 Essential Training

Author: Aaron F. Ross
Duration (hr:min): 10:04
Released on: 5/26/2010
Exercise files: Yes
Software works on: Windows only

In 3ds Max 2011 Essential Training, author Aaron F. Ross demonstrates how to use this top-tier application for digital content creation, widely used in diverse industries such as architecture, industrial design, motion pictures, games and virtual worlds. This course covers modeling with polygons, curves, and subdivision surfaces, defining surface properties with materials and maps, setting up cameras and lights, animating objects, and final output rendering. Exercise files accompany the course.

Topics include:

• Getting familiar with the 3ds Max interface
• Creating shapes and splines
• Modeling Loft objects
• Creating motion graphics
• Modeling with polygons and subdivisions
• Modeling with NURBS
• Shading objects with materials and maps
• Setting up camera and scene layout
• Lighting basic scenes
• Animating objects with keyframes
• Editing keyframes in the Curve Editor
• Constructing and animating hierarchies
• Using animation Constraints
• Animating particle systems
• Rendering animations to disk

Content:

Introduction - 03:19

    Welcome - 0:57 - 4.9 MB
    Prerequisites - 1:18 - 3.2 MB
    Using the exercise files - 1:04 - 2.5 MB

1. Getting Started - 07:33

    Using the Custom UI and Defaults Switcher - 1:35 - 3.7 MB
    Setting local file paths to relative - 1:27 - 2.6 MB
    Using project folders - 4:31 - 8.5 MB

2. The 3ds Max Interface - 36:35

    Getting familiar with the interface - 4:05 - 11.9 MB
    Touring the command panels - 1:44 - 2.9 MB
    Creating primitives - 3:05 - 7.4 MB
    Navigating the viewports - 3:57 - 14.6 MB
    Using hotkeys - 3:18 - 10.6 MB
    Choosing shading modes - 3:06 - 6.3 MB
    Configuring the viewports - 3:29 - 8.3 MB
    Transforming objects - 4:32 - 14.1 MB
    Using the toolbars - 3:33 - 8.9 MB
    Using the Modify panel - 5:46 - 17.2 MB

3. Modeling Basics - 36:11

    Surveying different modeling methods - 5:18 - 14.8 MB
    Setting units - 5:08 - 8.9 MB
    Setting home grid dimensions - 3:37 - 8.7 MB
    Understanding the Level of Detail utility - 3:34 - 10.0 MB
    Working with the Modifier Stack - 3:51 - 11.2 MB
    Understanding dependencies - 5:09 - 17.4 MB
    Collapsing the Modifier Stack - 4:53 - 7.7 MB
    Working with sub-objects - 4:41 - 12.1 MB

4. Modeling with Splines - 18:32

    Creating shapes - 5:17 - 12.0 MB
    Creating lines - 2:56 - 5.9 MB
    Converting a shape to an editable spline - 2:20 - 5.1 MB
    Transforming editable spline sub-objects - 4:20 - 8.8 MB
    Using different types of vertices - 3:39 - 6.4 MB

5. Lofting - 35:30

    Lofting a vase - 3:59 - 7.8 MB
    Setting loft parameters - 3:49 - 25.1 MB
    Editing the path and shapes - 5:18 - 16.7 MB
    Manipulating loft sub-objects - 3:55 - 25.2 MB
    Adding a scale deformation - 5:47 - 17.3 MB
    Adding a shell modifier - 3:50 - 23.2 MB
    Smoothing polygon edges - 8:52 - 31.6 MB

6. Modeling for Motion Graphics - 26:20

    Setting up the project and scene layout - 2:34 - 17.4 MB
    Creating a backdrop profile line - 1:19 - 3.3 MB
    Using Editable Spline Fillet - 1:24 - 2.8 MB
    Extruding shapes - 2:36 - 10.3 MB
    Creating text - 1:21 - 4.1 MB
    Applying a bevel modifier - 3:57 - 20.8 MB
    Choosing bevel parameters - 2:33 - 20.1 MB
    Using Display All Triangle Edges - 1:56 - 4.9 MB
    Adjusting spline interpolation - 2:22 - 8.1 MB
    Deforming beveled objects - 1:17 - 13.3 MB
    Exporting paths from Adobe Illustrator - 2:39 - 4.2 MB
    Importing Illustrator paths to 3ds Max - 2:22 - 4.8 MB

7. Polygon Modeling - 55:55

    Setting up the scene - 2:08 - 5.2 MB
    Creating chamfer boxes - 4:44 - 11.5 MB
    Smoothing edges - 1:16 - 3.0 MB
    Using the Array tool - 5:31 - 12.8 MB
    Grouping objects - 10:18 - 26.5 MB
    Modeling lines - 11:17 - 39.1 MB
    Using the Sweep Modifier - 3:00 - 12.8 MB
    Soft-selecting sub-objects with Volume Select - 5:40 - 21.9 MB
    Removing polygons with Delete Mesh - 2:37 - 12.0 MB
    Clearing a sub-object selection with Mesh Select - 3:37 - 9.1 MB
    Adding randomness with the Noise Modifier - 5:47 - 19.1 MB

8. Subdivision Surface Modeling - 33:02

    Understanding subdivision surfaces - 2:46 - 19.0 MB
    Creating a box and converting to editable poly format - 3:54 - 18.8 MB
    Using the Symmetry Modifier - 1:44 - 4.5 MB
    Working with TurboSmooth - 3:03 - 6.8 MB
    Extruding polygons - 1:54 - 12.9 MB
    Editing edge loops - 8:15 - 37.5 MB
    Shaping the model - 4:57 - 20.2 MB
    Baking subdivisions - 3:45 - 9.5 MB
    Optimizing polygon Level of Detail - 2:44 - 9.5 MB

9. Polygon Modeling with Graphite - 38:45

    Understanding the graphite tools within Editable Poly - 2:40 - 5.2 MB
    Using the Graphite Ribbon interface - 3:26 - 8.6 MB
    Using traditional editable poly tools within Graphite - 11:30 - 31.6 MB
    Adjusting detail with Remove and Cut - 4:44 - 20.4 MB
    Using SwitfLoop - 2:46 - 6.6 MB
    Constraining sub-object transforms - 2:23 - 8.6 MB
    Attaching polygon meshes to a single object - 5:33 - 16.2 MB
    Bridging parts of a mesh - 5:43 - 23.1 MB

10. NURBS Modeling - 25:24

    Understanding NURBS - 2:35 - 3.8 MB
    Creating NURBS curves - 7:27 - 15.9 MB
    Creating a U-loft surface - 5:52 - 15.3 MB
    Editing curves and surfaces - 3:09 - 9.2 MB
    Setting surface approximation - 6:21 - 19.1 MB

11. Materials Basics - 01:00:17

    Using the Material Editor - 7:08 - 19.1 MB
    Choosing a material type - 3:03 - 6.8 MB
    Choosing a shader type - 2:12 - 6.5 MB
    Adjusting specular parameters - 3:06 - 13.3 MB
    Setting opacity - 3:05 - 6.6 MB
    Understanding procedural Maps and bitmaps - 4:11 - 9.2 MB
    Using bitmaps - 5:21 - 11.2 MB
    Navigating shader trees - 2:27 - 7.7 MB
    Tracking scene assets - 4:40 - 11.7 MB
    Creating simple UVW mapping - 7:52 - 41.4 MB
    Adding reflections with a Raytrace map - 4:32 - 19.6 MB
    Creating an environment - 5:27 - 27.6 MB
    Mapping a bump channel - 7:13 - 31.4 MB

12. Camera Basics - 27:04

    Creating cameras - 4:01 - 10.2 MB
    Understanding target and free cameras - 4:39 - 19.8 MB
    Using Camera Pan, Truck, and Dolly - 4:08 - 42.8 MB
    Adjusting the field of view - 4:59 - 35.9 MB
    Understanding aspect ratio - 2:06 - 6.5 MB
    Showing safe frames - 3:12 - 8.9 MB
    Choosing render output size - 3:59 - 9.3 MB

13. Lighting Basics - 43:36

    Understanding CG lighting - 5:56 - 13.4 MB
    Understanding standard and photometric lights - 1:48 - 3.4 MB
    Creating a target spotlight - 2:03 - 5.6 MB
    Enabling viewport hardware shading - 2:10 - 6.7 MB
    Previewing renderings with ActiveShade - 3:06 - 7.2 MB
    Adjusting intensity and color - 2:27 - 5.9 MB
    Controlling contrast and highlights - 2:52 - 5.4 MB
    Setting spotlight hotspot and falloff radius - 4:59 - 15.0 MB
    Choosing a shadow type - 3:56 - 14.4 MB
    Optimizing shadow maps - 5:46 - 17.8 MB
    Using area shadows - 3:57 - 7.4 MB
    Creating omni lights - 4:36 - 13.4 MB

14. Keyframe Animation - 43:33

    Understanding keyframes - 1:41 - 7.4 MB
    Setting time configuration - 3:48 - 8.8 MB
    Choosing set key filters - 1:27 - 3.1 MB
    Using Set Key mode - 2:39 - 6.7 MB
    Editing keyframes in the Timeline - 2:43 - 8.3 MB
    Using Auto Key mode - 5:44 - 20.1 MB
    Creating animation in passes - 2:40 - 8.4 MB
    Animating modifier parameters - 3:53 - 15.5 MB
    Working in the dope sheet - 7:47 - 21.3 MB
    Editing function curves - 5:28 - 21.4 MB
    Looping animation - 5:43 - 40.9 MB

15. Hierarchies - 43:54

    Understanding hierarchies - 3:16 - 8.1 MB
    Understanding reference coordinate systems - 5:51 - 17.3 MB
    Editing pivot points - 4:40 - 17.4 MB
    Linking objects - 3:20 - 10.9 MB
    Using the Schematic view - 1:59 - 5.3 MB
    Preventing problems with scale - 7:50 - 13.3 MB
    Animating a hierarchy - 10:11 - 27.4 MB
    Fine-tuning the animation - 6:47 - 22.5 MB

16. Controllers and Constraints - 20:53

    Understanding controllers - 3:55 - 13.0 MB
    Applying path constraints - 4:55 - 23.2 MB
    Assigning a link constraint - 2:27 - 4.9 MB
    Using the Motion panel - 2:48 - 7.9 MB
    Animating constrained objects - 6:48 - 19.1 MB

17. Special Effects - 28:29

    Understanding particle systems - 2:24 - 11.6 MB
    Emitting particles from an object with PArray - 2:18 - 5.5 MB
    Adjusting particle parameters - 5:33 - 27.1 MB
    Binding particles to a gravitational force - 2:51 - 12.3 MB
    Colliding particles with a POmniFlector - 6:04 - 25.4 MB
    Creating a particle material - 3:23 - 11.8 MB
    Mapping opacity with a gradient - 2:01 - 8.0 MB
    Assigning a material ID G-Buffer channel - 0:46 - 1.2 MB
    Creating a lens effect glow - 3:09 - 8.6 MB

18. Scanline Rendering - 18:50

    Understanding image sequences - 5:40 - 13.5 MB
    Setting render options - 7:53 - 16.1 MB
    Compressing an image sequence to a movie - 5:17 - 12.8 MB

Conclusion - 00:27

    Goodbye - 0:27 - 0.4 MB