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• Part IX: Working with Characters—This part covers creating and working with bipeds, bone systems, rigging, skinning, and character crowds. It also provides coverage of the various inverse kinematics methods.

• Part X: Dynamic Animation—This part covers creating animation sequences using physics calculations. It includes coverage of particles, Space Warps, the cool features of reactor, and using forces to animate hair and cloth.

• Part XI: Advanced Lighting and Rendering—Advanced lighting concepts include using the Light Tracer and Radiosity, and the advanced rendering topics include Atmospheric and Render Effects, network rendering, raytracing, and mental ray.

• Appendixes—At the very end of this book, you'll find two appendixes that cover the new features of Max 2012 and the contents of the book's CD.

Using the book's icons

The following margin icons are used to help you get the most out of this book:

Note

Notes highlight useful information that you should take into consideration. •

Tip

Tips provide additional bits of advice that make particular features quicker or easier to use. •

Caution

Cautions warn you of potential problems before you make a mistake. •

New Feature

The New Feature icon highlights features that are new to the 2012 release. •

Cross-Reference

Watch for the Cross-Reference icon to learn where in another chapter you can go to find more information on a particular feature. •

On the CD-ROM

This icon points you toward related material on the book's CD. •

The book's CD

Computer-book CD-ROMs are sometimes just an afterthought that includes a handful of examples and product demos. This book's CD, however, includes a diverse selection of 3D models that you can use in your projects if you choose. Many of these models are used in the tutorials. The CD also includes the Max files for every tutorial.

Because we have more information that can be contained within a mere 1,200 pages, we've moved some material to the CD as bonus chapters, so if you feel cheated because something isn't covered, take a close look at the bonus chapters.

Since the second edition, I've been including Quick Start chapters in every new edition and over time they have been quietly improving with age. For this edition, I've dusted them off and included the Quick Start chapters from all the previous editions on the book's CD.

Color insert pages

The possibilities of Max are endless, but many individuals and groups have pushed the software a long way. As a sampling of the finished work that can be created, I've included a set of color insert pages that showcase some amazing work done with Max. The 3D artists represented in these pages give you some idea of what is possible.

Acknowledgments

I have a host of people to thank for their involvement in this major work. The order in which they are mentioned doesn't necessarily represent the amount of work they did.

Thanks as always to my dear wife, Angela, and my sons, Eric and Thomas, without whose support I wouldn't get very far. They are my QA team and my brainstorming team who always provide honest feedback on my latest example. We have had many family sessions to think of good tutorial examples, and I'm always amazed with what they come up with. One of my favorites that hasn't been implemented yet is a tutorial of a group of bicycles chasing an ice cream truck.

In the first edition, the task at hand was too big for just me, so I shared the pain with two co-authors—Dave Brueck and Sanford Kennedy (both of whom have gone on to write books of their own). I still thank them for their work, which, although overhauled, retains their spirits. In a later edition, I again asked for help, a request that was answered by Sue Blackman. Sue provided several excellent examples that show off the power of the Track View interface. Thanks for your help, Sue.

Major thanks to the editors and personnel at Wiley. I'd like to specifically thank Stephanie McComb, who has stepped into an established team and done a great job.