3ds Max : Where to Start (Again!!)

[Kreation]

Hi , I'm looking for some information regarding 3ds Max,

I've been modeling for quite some time now using Cad,Inventor,Solidworks,Bryce and Rhino but now I want to get into Max and the Rendering side of things, only problem is I dont know were to begin,I have used Max and am familar with the interface but what I'm looking for is a book ,website,Cd or Course that can explain each step from scratch not just a quick reference, I want to get to know the program inside out and am hoping that there will be something out there to help me on my Journey.I am looking to use it from an architectural standpoint as well as an artistic view.Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

[ihabkal]

When I started learning Max I got the three New Riders books, go to AMazon and do a search get from this publisher. they helped me a lot. their tutorials were easy and their text understandable...

[JamesTaylor]

when i started learning visualisation i'd also been modelling using various packages for many years previous, but that was little help with the rendering side of things which is a whole new ball game. I too tried to find tutorials in the hope of quick or quicker answers!!

 

Unfortunately i think the only way to learn is to jump on in and have a go, pull your hair out, tell yourself its not worth the hassle and become completely bemused. Then get up the next day and have another go at it until you start to see the relationship between what your doing in the software and what is coming out of the render.

 

I see a lot people posting images that say its their 1st ever, but i think they mean its the first one they've put up for us to see!! I know my first ones were horrific and it wasn't until i'd spent plenty of time rendering out small meaningless bits that i had a go at my first ever image!!

 

its hard because getting the fundamentals is frustrating and a steap learning curve but you get over it and start to progress quickly to an acceptable level. Then you start seeing the smallest of details and try adjusting glass to get the right relections etc, at which point it becomes anoying and hard going again!! but these are the details the untrained eye don't pick up on.

 

in terms of things which might help i'd suggest trying to achieve what your after, fail, go and read the help pages, think you don't understand most of what you've just read, have another go, see what happens, go back and read the same help page again, maybe try the tutorial and then have another go. other than that generally surf the forums here and post plenty of questions - people are always helpful and the best source of knowledge, evermotion.org also has forums that are useful as does cgtalk and cgtechniques.

 

The forums are more helpful than tutorials in my opinion

[Bugga_Guy]

http://www.lynda.com/ is a website that offers online tutorials (video) for only $30 US a month. They should start paying me for this is more than the first time I been talking about them.