Background
The course is for designers or animators new to this high-performance 3D animation, modelling and rendering package.

3DS Max is the world’s best selling professional 3D software and will enable you to create photo-realistic visualisation images, rendered 3D sequences for broadcast or high-impact 3D animations for multimedia or the web.

Course Outline

Introduction to 3D Max
The stages of the 3D pipeline: modeling, materials, lighting, cameras, animation and rendering

The MAX Interface
The menu bar, tool bars and boxes
Activating and arranging viewports
The Command Panel

Drawing Precision
Grids explained
The Transform Managers
Using Axis Constrainers

Modelling in 3D Max
The Create Panel
Fundamentals of modelling
Creating primitive based objects
Lofting (inc. the deformation tools)

Arranging a Scene
The various selection methods
Pivot points explained
The move, rotate and scale transforms
Aligning objects
Cloning and grouping objects
Creating and using selection sets
Positioning and adjusting cameras

Modifying Objects
The Modify panel
Object modifiers

The Materials Editor
The Materials Editor interface

Lighting
Different types of light sources
Positioning and adjusting lights

Rendering a Still Image
Render parameters and options

Animating a Scene
Animation controls
Controlling time
Dummy objects explained
Creating event-driven animation

Rendering an Animated Scene
Rendering parameters
Output options