3ds Max Basics: Model, Rig and Animate Characters for Games

This step-by-step lesson book, designed as a textbook for learning the fundamentals of modeling, rigging, and animating 3D-modeled characters for use in video games, builds upon the reader's modeling skills acquired from reading Volume I. The reader will model characters for the Castle Environment created in Volume I, which will be rigged using the Character Animation Toolkit (CAT) in 3ds Max and animated with game moves. The Skin Modifier is used for associating the meshes to the rigs, and the characters are then exported to the Unity game engine and integrated into the Castle Scene with a Third Person Character camera.

As the text introduces new modeling skills, it additionally calls on the reader to perform repetitive tasks, reinforcing skills learned in the process. The content is presented as if the reader is in a working video game studio, being responsible for researching asset design and providing the team with placeholder assets and final model assets that are unwrapped and custom textured using both box mapping and the 3ds Max Quick Peel tool.

Although the text uses Autodesk 3ds Max for the modeling program, the principles are transferable to other major modeling programs. The goal of this book is to teach the fundamentals of 3D modeling video game characters in a simplified, logical progression optimized for learning at a beginner level. Rigging principles (Linking, Inverse Kinematics [IK], Forward Kinematics [FK], Skin Deformation, Weighting Vertices and more) are introduced in a gradual progression to allow maximum comprehension and retention.

This series of modeling exercises is the result of having successfully taught over 1000 video game students the fundamentals of 3D modeling. This complete, clearly written and concise text is written for self-paced learning, helping those instructors who might not be fully trained in 3D modeling and those interested in self-teaching. Includes instructions and project files for exporting the finished project environment into the 3D game engine, Unity.

A companion site (www.3dsMaxBasics.com) includes working 3ds Max project files for chapters, notes and corrections, a 3ds Max user interface, 3ds Max shortcut keys and more.

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