Mastering 3D Studio MAX R3

Rating:
Summary: Not too Bad
Review: As the author of this book, I understand and share the frustration of missing files. Those that purchase the book can contact me directly and I will immeadiately forward a CD with any missing files to them, at no extra charge. (My contact info is in the book.)

But the great thing about the book is that the wealth of information in the book not reliant on the files on the CD. As an experienced 3D Studio Max Trainer for Discreet, I am exposed to hundreds of new users a year. They all have common threads of knowledge they are seeking. I have tried to summarize all those bits of knowledge in this book.

Of course no book is perfect, and experience on this program is never found in a book. But I believe this book serves its purpose of raising the level of knowledge about 3D Studio in a different way from other Max books. And those that read it are looking to learn something new, not be told how to do something different. Those people will benefit and be better Max artists because of it. Of course, I am biased because its my book. If you do purchase my book, I encourage constructive comments and feed back. - Good Reading.. CM

Rating:
Summary: Where to find the missing files
Review: Here is ftp site for the missing files from the CD.

ftp://ftp.sybex.com/2561/

The Author

Rating:
Summary: Power User, First 3DMax Book
Review: I pretty much learn every feature of software that I set out to learn. I chose this book because it seemed like it would get me closest to learning it all for a first book, knowing that it wouldn't take me all the way. It's a great book by all means. Sure there are some missing files on the CD but things like that are easy to fix with the internet at our disposal. I've read almost the whole thing now and it hasn't disappointed me at all. I'll probably be a bit more disappointed with other books that I buy because I'll be trying to find out things that this book didn't cover. I'd have to say that this is a great first book for someone who plans to peg the whole program down to a professional level within a few years. I can't understand why it would ever get bad reviews because it seems like the authors really cared to bring the most info across in the most straight foreward way possible. You don't even have to read this baby from front to back. You can open it up and start doing something advanced using step by step instructions right away. Very simple and concise. Good reference tool also.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderflul Book! Very Well Written! Excellent Information
Review: Mastering 3ds Max R3 is an excellent source of information about the 3ds Max program. Although this book seems a bit intimidating because of it's size, 700+ pages, it's very easy to read and understand. The authors have done a wonderful job in explaining the various methods of rendering for this application. I really enjoyed reading about modeling and animation with applying materials and lighting techniques. This book is so well organized that I found myself reading 30 pages at a time without feeling tired or bored. The novice and professional alike will find the section on shortcut keys and MaxScript very useful. I myself was particulaly found of the sections about NURBS curves and the raytrace techniques. The most tedious part of the book are chapters 13-18 which goes into detail about MaxScript, the backbone of the 3ds max program. I found this section to be very informative and necessary to learn. I also appreciated the authors no nonsense approach to learning the application, in which they mentioned that the learning process takes time so enjoy yourself. In conclusion, I think that anyone interested in purchasing this book will soon realize that it was money well spent and that they will enjoy reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Luminous Writing, a Model of Clarity
Review: The author writes:

As the author of this book, I understand and share the frustration of missing files. Those that purchase the book can contact me directly and I will immeadiately forward a CD with any missing files to them, at no extra charge. (My contact info is in the book.)

I followed his instructions and contacted him with my mailing address and got this reply:

Darren,

Thanks for purchasing the book. If you send me your snail mail address I will have a new CD forwarded to you.

Regards,

Chris Murray

Well two weeks had gone by and there was no sign of the missing files. I sent a follow up message, and another one and another one and another one. Five in fact. Each time the author told me how busy he was and that he would get to it soon. That was six months ago and he never did send the files. I like the book a lot but even after pleading with him repeatedly for months on end, he wouldn't live up to the promise of providing the files. Many of the projects in the book can't be completed without the files so put that into consideration when purchasing. Good luck friends...

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