Module Modul e 1 - Starting Starting T he User Interface VIZ UI - menus Docked and floating toolbars The command panel Viewport and navigation controls Finishing UI tour in VIZ Differences in Max UI Rollouts, spinners, and floaters Previewing values with spinners Quad menus Tool palettes Customizing Customizin g the UI Assigning keyboard hotkey Keyboard shortcut override toggle Improving override functionality Customizing toolbars, quads, menus, and colors Custom UI and defaults switcher Units Units System units and accuracy Rescale world utility Start new scenes from prototype Creating Objects Creating standard primitives Creating shapes with spline primitives Creating text Helix and spiral Section geometry to generate spline Drawing lines Start new shape mode and button Shape interpolation Object names and colors Viewport Rendering Levels Touring rendering levels Set rendering level for selection Understanding adaptive degradation Toggling adaptive degradation manually Object display culling Activeshade in Max Viewport Navigation Zoom Field of view Arc rotate Walkthrough Scene undo versus viewport undo Toggling viewports Display Control Layers toolbar Layer manager Layer properties Object properties ByLayer or ByObject Hide and freeze Isolate and isolate selection's layer
MIN 1 1 3 2 2 1 3 1 2 2
SEC 50 49 46 12 46 40 32 53 11 29
1 1 1 2 2
55 47 32 20 7
2 2 1 2
21 9 18 0
2 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 2
56 56 54 37 3 1 31 24 50
4 1 1 1 1 1
30 46 25 24 39 27
4 1 2 3 1 2
34 44 59 11 12 27
3 2 2 1 2 3 1
2 58 3 10 16 39 33
Selection Making a selection set Choosing a selection region Keyboard shortcuts for selection Select by layer or color Select by name Named selection sets Transformation About transforms and gizmos Move axis constraints Using the rotate gizmo Scale and squash Use transform type-ins for accuracy Construction Grids Configuring the home grid in Max Understanding the home grid in VIZ Creating user grids Using autogrid Snap Calling for snaps one at a time Running snap modes and snap toggle Snap overrides Moving and snap Angles, percent, and spinner snap Snap dimensions Snap toolbar Ortho and polar snap Total
1 4 2 2 3 2
45 52 39 2 27 49
3 4 3 3 3
18 2 21 4 6
4 3 3 2
56 8 50 53
2 2 3 2 2 3 3 2
2 15 3 56 36 31 23 2
173.80 mins 2.90 hours
Video Title Geometry Essentials Understanding normals Flipping normals Displaying backfaces Smoothing Pivot Points Understanding pivot points Changing pivot-object relationship Playing with pivot point alignment Reset transforms with caution Reference Coordinate Systems World and local View and screen Grid and pick Parent and gimbal Constant reference coordinate system Coordinates quad menu Transform Centers Pivot point center vs selection center Set transform center to user grid Transform center and pick reference coords Rotate about a vertex using snap Cloning Copying in place or with a transform Instancing and making unique References and unique modifiers Array by cloning Array and Mirror Mirroring, cloning, and offsetting Mirroring and coordinate systems Rectangular array Polar array Dimensional arrays Alignment Quick align Using the align dialog box Aligning orientation Align object normals Aligning lights and cameras Align to view and tilt-up construction Clone and align Primitive Chair Project Modeling a primitive chair 1 Modeling a primitive chair 2 Modeling a primitive chair 3 Modeling a primitive chair 4 Grouping Creating a group Opening and closing groups Attaching and detaching objects from a group Nesting groups Ungrouping versus exploding Grouping versus single object modeling Modifier Essentials
MIN
SEC
2 1 4 2
40 45 57 36
0 1 2 3
50 15 26 20
5 3 4 3 1 1
1 4 7 19 9 20
2 4 0 2
49 3 58 1
3 4 3 3
23 39 6 1
3 3 5 3 2
42 19 20 22 43
1 4 2 2 3 5 6
44 30 55 14 0 1 40
3 6 3 3
26 30 16 27
2 3 2 2 1 1
38 10 30 37 46 2
Modifiers affect existing topology Moving modifier center and transforming gizmos Limiting modifier effect parametrically Stacking and reordering modifiers Understanding stack display and controls Showing buttons and configuring modifier sets Object data flows in pipelines Instanced pipelines versus instanced modifiers Cloning references and instancing modifiers Parametric Modifiers Bend, twist, and stretch Taper and squeeze Push, skew, spherify, and relax Wave and ripple Lattice and geodesic domes Noise Section and slice Freeform Deformations Preset cubes - 2X, 3X, and 4X Custom FFD box and cylinder Modified Chair Project Modeling chair with modifiers 1 Modeling chair with modifiers 2 Modeling chair with modifiers 3 Modeling chair with modifiers 4 Modeling chair with modifiers 5 Modeling chair with modifiers 6 Selection Modifiers Mesh select passes sub-object selection up stack Select modifiers depend on specific topology Volume select is not dependent upon topology Volume select, push, and soft selection Affect region works like soft selection Returning stack to object level Transform Modifiers Xform modifier Reset xform utility Mirror tool versus mirror modifier Symmetry modifier Linked xform in 3ds Max Total
4 4 4 2 4 2 4 4 5
43 33 4 10 0 58 44 16 32
2 3 2 2 4 3 3
55 33 36 46 8 50 28
5 2
3 58
1 3 5 3 4 2
21 14 40 32 31 6
2 1 2 3 1 4
28 44 35 19 31 1
2 48 2 32 1 36 1 57 2 45 217 2187 252.63 mins 4.21 hours
Splines Shape Basics Minutes Shapes, lines, and splines 3 Edit spline, and Editable Spline, and SplineSelect 4 Rendering splines directly 1 Turning Wood, Blowing Glass, and Throwing Pottery Attaching background image 1 Attaching background image 1 Adjusting cross sectional profile 3 Continuing to shape profile 2 Permanently removing background image 2 Lathing profile 4 Outlining and adjusting profile 2 Setting up pivot for real world scale 2 Floor Plan Techniques Importing 2D drawing, connecting, and extruding 4 Adding headers and footers to wall openings 6 Sketching plan with grid and ortho or polar snap 5 Trimming subsplines and welding vertices 4 Conceptualizing plan with subspline booleans 3 Playing with editable spline subobject tools 5 Basic Wall Techniques Linking 3D model from ADT 5 Outlining subsplines and extruding walls 3 Cutting openings with boolean compound objects 5 Nesting booleans for multiple wall penetrations 5 Wall by Elevation Techniques Laying out lines with user grid and outlining 5 Dealing with oblique or curved wall segments 2 Extruding elevation splines 2 Penetrating Elevated Walls Creating openings 6 Trimming and welding door openings 3 Joining walls with edit mesh 6 Adding additional openings post joining 3 Custom window openings 4 Fenestration Standard AEC doors 5 Standard AEC windows 3 Matching custom fenestration splines to openings 6 Drawing custom frame with spline subobjects 3 Beveling and extruding partitioned splines 5 Architectural Moldings Sweeping base molding 3 Sweeping door frame and adjusting base molding 5 Sweeping custom profiled moldings 3 Creating a crown molding 2 Swept Furniture Drawing chair frame with line 4 Sweeping and aligning frame 1 Detaching copies of segments for seat and backrest 1 Reorienting creation axis of spline 3
Seconds 43 47 53 24 59 36 37 33 20 38 56 57 7 13 13 54 44 3 42 17 13 56 26 21 53 54 52 50 26 25 25 35 47 43 28 18 52 22 50 53 51 16
Beveling the seat User grid fixes alignment problem with backrest Ceilings, Floors, and Roofs Tracing ceilings and floors and extruding Sectioning complex walls to create perimeter Bevel profile modifier makes flexible roofs Patches Understanding Patches Quad versus tri patches Modeling a lavatory with an editable patch Scaling multiple vertices and adjusting steps Surface Tools: Noguchi Coffee Table Sketching table leg cross section Generating surface with edit patch Edit patch versus surface modifier Adding cross sections to spline cage Shaping the spline cage with area selection Transforming vertices and handles in spline cage Completing the Noguchi table Mesh and Poly Objects Understanding Polygonal Models Superficial differences between meshes and polys Exploring the editable mesh Exploring the editable poly Poly Modeling: Light Fixture Begin modeling light fixture with editable poly Subdividing and smoothing low poly model Modeling transparent portion of fixture Creating finial object from lamp Detailing finial Modeling a leaf with subdivision surfaces Connecting leaf and finial Arraying leaf about finial Optimizing polygon count Using collapse utility to output single mesh NURBS Understanding NURBS Understanding NURBS curves Creating a surface from curves Understanding iso and mesh displays Surface approximation NURBS Modeling: Modern Chair Creating NURBS surfaces Importing spline into NURBS surface Normal projecting curve onto surface and trimming Sculpting surface with CVs Creating offset dependent surface Adding surface edge curve and creating blend surface Editing surfaces after creation Projecting a curve on surface Renaming, hiding, and attaching curve subobjects Creating dependent transform curves
2 4
37 1
2 5 6
25 26 1
4 5 1
42 46 46
3 3 1 3 2 2 3
38 6 16 24 51 31 9
4 5 3
56 5 56
3 3 5 4 2 3 3 1 5 2
56 13 48 45 53 40 15 18 36 42
7 3 2 4
32 6 22 58
2 2 2 4 2 2 1 3 1 2
16 39 44 17 58 26 10 7 56 50
Generating U loft surface Adjusting model with all dependents updating Extruding, ruling, and capping surfaces Breaking surface and adding detail Collapsing to mesh and completing chair model Entire NURBS modeling process without commentary NURBS Walls Sketching floor plan with line and extruding as NURB Thickening with shell modifier Cutting door openings and setting opening size Sketching windows with splines Importing curves into NURBS and projecting Trimming multicurve window openings Adjusting window position and size Sketching bay windows on wall surfaces Importing and projecting curves Trimming more window openings Offsetting surfaces to perfect model Trimming with surface to surface intersection curves Filling openings with doors, windows, and geometry AEC Objects Doors and door knobs Connecting window with opening via link xform Controlling opening by wiring window width parameter Creating a straight stair Creating an L-type stair Assigning AEC template material to stair Creating a railing along stair rail path Generating terrain from contour splines Compound Objects Modeling pendentives with booleans Nesting booleans and intersecting forms Working with ProBooleans Adding quads and TurboSmooth to ProBooleans Detailing and completing sink model Scattering rocks on landform Merging text into mesh to create 3D logo Lofting VAV box Adjusting and deforming loft object Finishing lofted object Conforming foot path to landform 3ds Max Special Modeling Effects Arranging pebbles naturally in a bowl with reactor Dropping a tablecloth on a table Sewing loops onto drapery with garment maker Dropping drapes onto rod and pulling drapes closed Setting up scene for grass distribution Growing grass with particle flow Growing grass with the hair and fur modifier File Handling Save incrementally to avoid corruption Hold and fetch saves you from your own mistakes
2 1 2 2 2 6
45 52 9 17 33 5
3 1 3 2 1 0 2 4 1 1 2 2 2
29 26 22 6 44 54 5 7 12 22 48 47 21
5 4 3 3 4 3 4 6
5 47 58 18 49 13 1 33
5 2 3 2 2 3 5 8 4 2 4
16 5 48 13 57 22 44 12 43 54 31
9 9 8 8 4 6 5
29 44 6 49 41 14 34
2 1
38 39
Saving and recovering backup files Externally referencing objects Importing versus merging with named selection Replacing objects of same name in scene Exploring the substitute modifier Merging scenes with the asset browser Working with AutoCAD and ADT Total
3 30 2 36 3 24 2 43 3 27 3 17 6 54 456 4433 529.88 mins 8.83 hours
Material Basics Exploring the material editor user interface Setting default material type in editor Assigning materials Not displaying and unassigning materials Understanding editor and scene domains Accessing and saving library materials Accessing and saving material libraries VIZ tool palettes access library materials quickly Customizing tool palettes and palette groups Material editor mechanics Performing material detective work Reset, condense, and restore slots in editor Previewing materials with scanline renderer Light and Shaders Understanding context of materials in scene Diffuse and ambient visual components Controlling specular highlights Self illumination and opacity Exploring shaders and their parameters Selecting and transferring color Guide to choosing material colors Texture Mapping Exploring the concept of vertex color Mapping mechanics in material editor Adjusting planar XYZ mapping coordinates Understanding texture coordinate controls Controlling texture coordinates with UVW Map Applying bitmap with planar UVW mapping Exploring real world texture coordinates Comparing OSM and WSM real world map scalers Using the UVW Xform modifier Mapping 2D Patterns Gradient map Gradient ramp map Swirl map Tiles map Modifying Color with Maps Nesting a bitmap within an RGB tint map Using output rollout and map Applying gradient map and adjust UVW map Assigning vertex colors from map to geometry Painting color into vertex color channel Assigning vertex color map to render vertex channel 3D Procedural Maps Cellular map Controlling direction of falloff map Exploring falloff types Making diffuse color bitmap falloff to simulate drapery Creating a plaster wall with instanced noise maps Compositing Maps RGB multiply map Mask map Mix map Compositing opaque bitmap
Minutes 2 1 2 4 4 6 4 3 2 4 2 1 5
Seconds 59 55 55 11 36 40 29 34 18 52 24 59 48
6 4 3 4 8 5 3
12 16 59 10 0 10 6
3 3 5 5 5 7 4 3 2
51 26 56 25 11 42 2 8 14
3 2 1 4
50 35 58 32
3 6 3 1 4 2
56 6 10 51 22 1
6 6 3 4 7
40 28 59 2 33
2 4 5 2
31 43 44 38
Creating an alpha channel in Photoshop Compositing bitmaps with alpha channel Transmitting Light Basic transparency Advanced transparency Mapping filter color with falloff Bending light quickly with thin wall refraction Bending light accurately with raytrace map Simulating translucency and opacity with falloff Architectural Entourage Create billboard object and match aspect to bitmap Basic masking with opacity map Combining diffuse and opacity maps with alpha Setting optical qualities for believable entourage Strategies for protecting entourage illusion Attaching entourage to ground surface Simulating Foliage Scattering leaves within volume to create shrub Creating empty particle flow to simulate foliage Designing particle flow to display multicolored leaves Growing grass with hair and fur modifier Mapping or Modeling the Environment Choosing simple environment color or gradient map Use bitmaps with screen coordinates for stills Panorama with cylindrical coordinates for walkthrough Modeling environment for flyover animation or web3D Adding fog to simulate atmosphere Mapping Reflection Bitmaps fake reflection on shiny objects Reflect-refract map shoots bitmaps that fake scene Flat mirror reflects actual scene quickly Raytrace map offers quality reflection but takes time Raytrace global options Excluding objects from raytracing Simulating Surface Relief Grayscale bitmap creates bump illusion RGB multiply map combines two bumps in one Piping and buttons simulated with bump Displacing a landscape with a bitmap Displacing a cushion with gradient ramp Using the displace map on top of other displacement Baking high poly detail into low poly models Designing Complex Materials Using tiles map to create wood floor plank pattern Controlling nested bitmap with map channel 2 Instancing map tree into multiple components Scanline Material Types Raytrace material Architectural material Xref material MatteShadow material Using RenderMatte MAXScript in compositing Compositing and masking images in Photoshop Wire and hidden line renderings with ink n paint Special purpose materials Compound Material Types
3 3
45 52
2 3 2 3 3 4
34 3 14 41 58 41
6 3 4 1 6 4
28 46 20 52 49 15
5 3 7 6
6 39 17 47
2 3 3 5 1
40 11 21 36 53
3 1 2 2 2 1
35 42 44 28 22 34
4 3 3 5 5 3 6
6 29 18 29 7 45 8
5 5 8
21 27 19
5 3 2 4 2 2 3 5
14 21 22 24 42 29 6 12
Blend material Composite material Double sided material Shellac material Top bottom material Multi-subobject material Asset Tracking Asset tracking with Adobe Bridge Asset management with two utilities Asset tracking feature and Autodesk Vault Total
3 3 1 2 2 5
33 27 56 16 19 15
1 58 3 20 5 20 369 3123 421 mins 7.02 hours
Light Light type overview Free versus target Place lights by highlight Navigating from within a spot or direct light Intensity, mood, and the multiplier Controlling intensity within spot or direct light Limiting light over distance with decay or attenuation Excluding light and shadow Controlling light interaction with material shaders Physically based light sources Photometric distribution Photometric intensity and color Photometric luminaires in VIZ Sunlight system Daylight system Strategies for arranging light sources Projecting light on a screen Shadow Projecting shadows with negative light Faking shadows with materials Mapping shadows Raytracing shadows Advanced raytraced shadows Area shadows are softer Global settings, light lister, and object properties Cameras Creating and looking through cameras Aiming and adjusting cameras Orthographic cameras and clipping planes Walkthrough navigation Correcting for 2-point perspective Simulating depth of field Blurring objects in motion Atmosphere and Effects Fog, smog, and haze Volumetric light Fire, smoke, and clouds Lens effects Interactive Exports Exporting VRML model Viewing WRL file with client software 3D DWF and Autodesk Design Review DVDs, phones, and game engines Rendering Mechanics Using scene states for design alternatives Print size wizard calculates pixel numbers Render scene common items Using safe frame to compose image Render types limit output and save time Scanline and Raytracer Tips and tricks using the scanline renderer Choosing the right antialiasing filter Supersampling is antialiasing within materials Optimizing raytracing
MIN
SEC 7 5 2 5 4 3 7 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 3
21 0 5 37 17 12 10 17 18 52 49 37 51 46 14 44 28
7 3 6 4 4 3 6
7 57 8 32 4 43 3
6 8 2 2 2 5 3
9 35 59 24 34 25 26
10 6 6 7
47 48 17 59
4 3 3 3
32 52 30 55
3 2 6 1 4
48 16 29 43 25
14 3 2 5
18 32 41 40
Advanced Techniques Dome lighting technique using HDRdomeLight Clay rendering with skylight and the light tracer Image based lighting High dynamic range reflection Exporting panoramas Crafting interactive panoramas with PTViewer Altering lighting and materials for radiosity Subdividing mesh and calculating radiosity Regathering and radiosity exteriors Mental Ray Altering lighting and materials for mental ray Playing with global illumination photons Understanding caustics and final gather Boost sampling quality for photo-realism Ambient occlusion in mental ray Contour renderings in mental ray Round corners special effect in arch-design Wireframe over ambient occlusion composite V-Ray VRay lights VRay materials VRay rollout mechanics Color mapping and exposure control Light cache GI engine Irradiance map GI engine VRay image sampling Total
10 9 5 7 4 5 17 11 10
57 23 43 39 56 50 12 24 31
13 7 3 5 6 3 2 3
9 24 33 42 53 11 51 57
4 57 6 46 9 5 6 5 7 14 6 48 3 31 374 2277 411.95 mins 6.87 hours
