Get up to speed quickly with this compelling, full-color guide to Autodesk 3ds Max

With its real-world, hands-on exercises, Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials helps new users learn the fundamentals of Autodesk 3ds Max quickly become productive. The task-based tutorials add real-world context that help you become familiar with the workflow scenarios of a professional environment, and provide that extra level of understanding to make you more proficient overall with the software.

Updated for 3ds Max 2015 and recommended as a preparation resource for the 3ds Max certification exam, this guide teaches the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. You'll have fun creating a retro-style alarm clock, animating a thrown knife, modeling a chair, and more, all while you learn modeling, rigging, animating, rendering, architectural visualization, and other career-essential techniques. This colorful, engaging book features:

• Chapter-opening learning objectives
• Step-by-step tutorials
• Full-color screenshots and illustrations
• Downloadable exercise files

Learn all the crucial techniques you'll need from authors Randi and Dariush Derakhshani, Autodesk Certified Instructors with years of professional experience under their belts. Artists, students, educators, and hobbyists will benefit from the guide's techniques and tutorials, getting to know the program as a whole and gaining insight into which aspects of the 3D production pipeline are most appealing. Whether you're a beginner or migrating from another 3D application, Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials provides the solid foundation.

Learn Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Quickly and Easily

This Autodesk Official Press guide covers the fundamentals of Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 with step-by-step tutorials and hands-on exercises that you won't get elsewhere. Inside, you'll find authoritative, unprecedented guidance that gives you firsthand experience with the tools and a good start on preparing for the Autodesk 3ds Max Certified Professional exam. You'll create a retro-style alarm clock, animate a thrown knife, model a chair, and more—all while learning modeling, rigging, animating, rendering, architectural visualization, and other career-essential techniques.

Learn these Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 essentials—and more:

• Polygons, polygon meshes, and primary modeling
• Animating objects, simple and complex
• Using CAD files to create rooms with doors and windows
• Skinning a model to a biped figure and adding motion
• Adding color, glow, and other materials
• Visualizing interiors with lighting and texturing
• Rendering interior scenes effectively
• Understanding mental ray and HDRI

This striking Essentials book features:

• Chapter-opening learning objectives
• Step-by-step tutorials
• Four-color screenshots and illustrations
• Downloadable exercise files