By Pete Draper

’I congratulate Pete on this amazing accomplishment. I am certain that those of you who read this will find it incredibly useful, both as an educational tool and as a volume of reference. I encourage you all to read and absorb the information found within, and use it to help strengthen both your own skills, and to help strengthen and maintain our ever spreading 3D community.’ Jason ’Buzz’ Busby (www.3dbuzz.com)

a UK-based visual effects animator and artist with 10+ years experience on large and small screen projects. Starting out as a fine artist and designer, his shift to CG animation led to key roles such as Lead and Senior Artist, Head of Media and, more recently, Visual Effects Supervisor / Director. Petes work covers a broad range of disciplines and genres from visual effects to reconstructions, commercials to in-house training. He currently writes for 3D World magazine, providing tips, tricks, reviews and tutorials for 3ds max and other animation and graphics tools.

By Pete Draper

Master professional techniques in 3ds max with expert guidance from this unique book and DVD-ROM package!

A must have guide for those with 3ds max experience who want to get more out of the base kit this versatile package provides. Save money by finding out how to get the most realistic effects from 3ds max without having to spend more on plugins. This book includes all you need to know to create realistic earth, air, fire and water effects with Discreet’s powerful 3ds max animation kit.

Inspirational color images cover every page as Pete shares his professional insight, detailing the breakdown of the extensive catalog of visual reference material supplied on the DVD-ROM to ensure your effects are more realistic when working in 3ds max. This information is then used within the body of the tutorials which teach not only how to create each effect, but why we have performed that specific step so that you have a complete understanding of all the processes involved.

The free DVD-ROM also contains 5 hours and 45 minutes of free video tutorials in which Pete walks you through additional effects while still maintaining the same quality and format as the tutorials in the book.

’I congratulate Pete on this amazing accomplishment. I am certain that those of you who read this will find it incredibly useful, both as an educational tool and as a volume of reference. I encourage you all to read and absorb the information found within, and use it to help strengthen both your own skills, and to help strengthen and maintain our ever spreading 3D community.’ Jason ’Buzz’ Busby (www.3dbuzz.com)

* You need this book to get the most realistic effects from 3ds max 6 without spending more on plugins!
* Learn how to create all the inspirational images, with this unique book and DVD package
* Benefit from the experience of a successful freelance max artist!

Super Buch für Fortgeschrittene

Ich arbeite jetzt seit ca. 1 Jahr mit 3dsmax, hätte aber nie gedacht, dass man aus dem Programm noch ohne Plugins so viel rausholen kann. Die Ergebnisse können durchaus mit denen von Plugins wie z.B. Afterburn oder Dreamscape mithalten, auch wenn sie ein wenig Zeitaufwendiger sind.
Wenn man jedoch bedenkt, dass diese Plugins um die 900¬ kosten, lohnt der Zeitaufwand sich.
Das Englisch ist gut zu verstehen und wenn man mit 3dsmax etwas Erfahrung hat, versteht man auch die einzelnen Arbeitsschritte in ihrer Funktion.
Nicht empfehlen würde ich dieses Buch für Anfänger, da man schon etwas Hintergrundwissen benötigt. Die kenntnis der Arbeitsoberfläche wird z.B vorrausgesetzt.

Super Buch für Fortgeschrittene

Ich arbeite jetzt seit ca. 1 Jahr mit 3dsmax, hätte aber nie gedacht, dass man aus dem Programm noch ohne Plugins so viel rausholen kann. Die Ergebnisse können durchaus mit denen von Plugins wie z.B. Afterburn oder Dreamscape mithalten, auch wenn sie ein wenig Zeitaufwendiger sind.
Wenn man jedoch bedenkt, dass diese Plugins um die 900¬ kosten, lohnt der Zeitaufwand sich.
Das Englisch ist gut zu verstehen und wenn man mit 3dsmax etwas Erfahrung hat, versteht man auch die einzelnen Arbeitsschritte in ihrer Funktion.
Nicht empfehlen würde ich dieses Buch für Anfänger, da man schon etwas Hintergrundwissen benötigt. Die kenntnis der Arbeitsoberfläche wird z.B vorrausgesetzt.

Einmalig! Uneingeschränkt empfehlenswert!!

Das Buch ist einfach der Hammer, wenn man sich mit Max mehr als nur oberflächlich beschäftigen will. Man kommt aus dem Staunen nicht mehr heraus, wenn man gezeigt bekommt, was alles ohne plug-ins möglich ist. Solche Bücher sollte es auch in übersetzter Form für eine breitere Anwenderschicht geben - dennoch ist es auch mit dem normalen Schulenglisch gut verständlich. Die beigefügte DVD (!) rundet den hervorragenden Gesamteindruck noch ab. Hier werden noch zusätzliche Videotutorials geliefert, sowohl auch alle nötigen Basis- und Fertigscenen zu den fantastischen workshops.

Mehr davon

Sehr schönes Buch, jedes Kapitel ist wie ein Geschenk auspacken. Man wird Plug-in unabhängiger und man begreift 3DSMax in einer neuen Tiefe. Meister gefunden ! Mehr gibts nicht zu sagen.

Einfach nur Exzellent...

Pete’s Buch ist eines der besten 3dsmax Bücher die ich je gelesen habe. Nicht umsonst hat es ein Zertifikat von Discreet als offizielles Trainingsmaterial bekommen. Pete beschreibt sehr ausführlich wie man ohne teure Plug-Ins zu sehr guten Ergebnissen kommt. Jeder Abschnitt beginnt zunächst mit einer Analyse des Effektes. Hilfreich ist zudem das das gesamte verwendete Analysematerial mit auf der DVD ist, so daß man sich selber nochmal Videoaufnahmen oder Bilder des Effektes angucken kann. Bei dem "Walkthrough" der Effekte beschreibt der Autor jeden Schritt sehr ausführlich, Und im Gegensatz zu den meisten Büchern erklärt Pete nach jedem Schritt warum er so vorgegangen ist, und welche Vorteile dieses vorgehen hat. Gerade deshalb ragt das Buch auch aus der Masse hervor, weil es nicht nur eine "tu dies, dann das, dann erreichst du jenes" Anleitung ist.
Am Ende jedes Kapitels gibt der Autor dann nochmal hilfreiche Tips wie man die Szene noch weiter verbessern kann. Zusätzlich befinden sich auf der DVD noch 4 Videotutorials die insgesamt über 4 1/2 Stunden sind. Ich kann das Buch jeden empfehlen der noch mehr aus 3ds max rausholen möchte. Das Buch ist jeden Cent wert.

very easy tutorials for any level

When i got this book a while back i was quite new into 3Ds Max and couldn’t make very much, but i’d thought i would get this as some of the elements in the booked looked professional and i wanted to make them. I followed the tutorials which i found very easy to read and follow, and i was able to create all of the tutorials and impressed my friends with the things i produced. The level of creation is top, and certainly some of the scenes are better than ones i have seen in movies. If you are someone who would like to create natural elements such as fire, water, explosions, tornados, etc, ...i would recommend this book as i was a beginner when i first used it and even now i still use it for help in doing other elements.

Completly AMAZING

I don`t speak a lot english and i was so scare to buy it because this guy is brithis but i saw some reviews and took the risk. when i got the book we can resume in one ward i was just surprised, it is completly amazing, i dont know for one else but for me this guy that`s really knows how to explain the difficult world of 3D, Thanks Peter Draper I’ve already found the key to my goal "this Book"

Completly AMAZING

I don`t speak a lot english and i was so scare to buy it because this guy is brithis but i saw some reviews and took the risk. when i got the book we can resume in one ward i was just surprised, it is completly amazing, i dont know for one else but for me this guy that`s really knows how to explain the difficult world of 3D, Thanks Peter Draper I’ve already found the key to my goal "this Book"

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL

There is a reason why the used books are priced the same as the new for this item. This is an essential buy. Beginners should try get their hands on something a little easier first, but everyone with even a little bit of experience needs to get this book. Whereas many books leave you with a feeling of being "rushed" or of not being properly thought out, this one leaves you with an impression of having every single tiny detail meticulously planned. The DVD even includes video tutorials that didn’t fit in the pages of the book! And the author has a website for the book and users that have problems with the tutorials. And guess what? He actually visits the website and offers help! wow! what a concept!

The tutorials themselves are brilliantly planned. First, we get reference footage, that is analyzed in order to get the best effect. Then, Draper goes through each step, and EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT WAS DONE AND WHY IN EACH STEP. This is vital and is sadly overlooked in many tutorials from other sources.

What will he teach you? Exactly what the book promises: extremely realistic water, earth, air, and fire. This is done mostly through the powerful new particle flow system and multi-layer materials (I mean MULTI-MULTI-MULTI-layer materials here). After only a few tutorials, I my skills with procedural materials and particle flow increased exponentially.

An essential buy.

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL

There is a reason why the used books are priced the same as the new for this item. This is an essential buy. Beginners should try get their hands on something a little easier first, but everyone with even a little bit of experience needs to get this book. Whereas many books leave you with a feeling of being "rushed" or of not being properly thought out, this one leaves you with an impression of having every single tiny detail meticulously planned. The DVD even includes video tutorials that didn’t fit in the pages of the book! And the author has a website for the book and users that have problems with the tutorials. And guess what? He actually visits the website and offers help! wow! what a concept!

The tutorials themselves are brilliantly planned. First, we get reference footage, that is analyzed in order to get the best effect. Then, Draper goes through each step, and EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT WAS DONE AND WHY IN EACH STEP. This is vital and is sadly overlooked in many tutorials from other sources.

What will he teach you? Exactly what the book promises: extremely realistic water, earth, air, and fire. This is done mostly through the powerful new particle flow system and multi-layer materials (I mean MULTI-MULTI-MULTI-layer materials here). After only a few tutorials, I my skills with procedural materials and particle flow increased exponentially.

An essential buy.

Best 3Ds Max book purchase

Most books out there are rehashes of the help documentation or popular tutorials already out there. For this book, however, almost every single tutorial covered tricks and techniques that I’ve never been exposed to before in my years of working with 3D Studio. Definitely an eye-opener for anyone who wants to learn how to create any sort of realistic environmental effect.

This is one book that is a must-have.

Best 3Ds Max book purchase

Most books out there are rehashes of the help documentation or popular tutorials already out there. For this book, however, almost every single tutorial covered tricks and techniques that I’ve never been exposed to before in my years of working with 3D Studio. Definitely an eye-opener for anyone who wants to learn how to create any sort of realistic environmental effect.

This is one book that is a must-have.

One of the very few 3D books worth your money

Most 3D books are unimpressive to me-- the sorts of things that could be readily learned by reading the manual or help files (particularly in the case of 3D Studio, which has excellent help and tutorials.)

Pete Draper’s book is one of the happy exceptions-- it extends one’s knowledge and capabilities, and moreover, his work is excellent; these are images and animations that would get you a job, if you could make them.

Would that there were more books of this calibre!

One of the very few 3D books worth your money

Most 3D books are unimpressive to me-- the sorts of things that could be readily learned by reading the manual or help files (particularly in the case of 3D Studio, which has excellent help and tutorials.)

Pete Draper’s book is one of the happy exceptions-- it extends one’s knowledge and capabilities, and moreover, his work is excellent; these are images and animations that would get you a job, if you could make them.

Would that there were more books of this calibre!

Awesome...simply awesome


I have had this book for about 2 months now and all I can say is wow. This book has really been helpful...extremley helpful I must say. Easy to follow, the tutorials ALL work....Pete draper expresses all aspects of each tutorial and explains the WHY factor in each step in his tutorials. I cannot praise this book high enough. It has solved a lot of underlying problems that most would use plugins to work around. I give this book a 100% feedback....and I really hope he launches another...I will definatley buy the next one.

Awesome...simply awesome


I have had this book for about 2 months now and all I can say is wow. This book has really been helpful...extremley helpful I must say. Easy to follow, the tutorials ALL work....Pete draper expresses all aspects of each tutorial and explains the WHY factor in each step in his tutorials. I cannot praise this book high enough. It has solved a lot of underlying problems that most would use plugins to work around. I give this book a 100% feedback....and I really hope he launches another...I will definatley buy the next one.

Awesome...simply awesome



I have had this book for about 2 months now and all I can say is wow. This book has really been helpful...extremley helpful I must say. Easy to follow, the tutorials ALL work....Pete draper expresses all aspects of each tutorial and explains the WHY factor in each step in his tutorials. I cannot praise this book high enough. It has solved a lot of underlying problems that most would use plugins to work around. I give this book a 100% feedback....and I really hope he launches another...I will definatley buy the next one.

Great book

First the quality of this book is great. Tutorial in this book are excellent. Anyway great book.

Not for Newbies

As a professional multimedia developer I use 3D Studio Max every day for modeling and animation. Though a professional, I consider myself to be at a lower intermediate level; I know enough to get myself through the multitude of rollouts, and can for the most part ’Mickey Mouse’ my way through particle systems.

I bought this book as a reference and tutorial tool, for both myself and my team of interns. After going through several of the tutorials on my own, I am convinced that this book will be invaluable to my team and to my progress in animation and modeling, however I would never recommend this book to the new 3D Studio Max developer.

The author(s) has extensive knowledge in 3D design, this is apparant from both the written and visual tutorials (btw: the visuals are wonderful, once you learn to understand the heavy British accent of the narrator). However, the author assumes you know where to find and how to use such things as spacewarps without need of alternative reference. The pictures in the book are extremely small and slightly out of focus, and are referred to as if one has a magnifiying glass in hand and at the ready. And, some of the terminology does not match perfectly with the interface, making some of the instruction rely on intuition and experience rather than absolutes.

Each tutorial is both a step-by-step instruction, and a ’this is the reason why’ type of learning environment. In general, the tutorials are very well rounded and take into consideration that the learner is seeking a how-to as well as a why-for method of learning.

A terrific source for learning, and for extending one’s abilities in 3D design. For the beginner: learn all you can about 3D Studio Max first, then refer to this book for furthering your skills.

Best computer graphic book I have ever read.

If you want a one sentence review of this book:

"Incredibly thorough and amazing value for money considering the mass of material and instructions provided."

So, why is this book so great? Why don’t you just buy a suite of Turbosquid plugins and save yourself the pain? Apart from the cost, because it helps you to work through and understanding the how and why the effects work, not just step by step hand holding through a tutorial. It teaches you to be more observant and how to think through a challenge.

Each chapter has an overview of how Pete will achieve the effect so you know what you are trying to do in a general sense.

For each of the effects involved, Pete starts by referencing images and movies (provided on the DVD) explaining what, how and why the effect is happening with the real world objects. Let’s face it, their is no way you are going to re-create any real world effect (or model/lighting for that matter) without references and a reasonably good understanding of how and why it occurs.

Where the book "kicks out the jams", in my opinion, is in the step by step guides. Each step will provide the exact steps needed to be taken and a relevant full-colour photo. However (and this is the important bit), it details WHY you are doing what you are doing. Attach an animation controller here . . . why? Adjust the light decay . . . why? All the questions are answered.

Too many books and web tutorials simply tell you exactly what to do but don’t discuss the underlying reasons. Sure you may get a result, but will you have an understanding of the principles involved so you can transfer skills from the current tutorial to a new situation?

The other reason to buy this book, and almost worth the price alone is the "taking it further" section at the end of the book. While this doesn’t go through step by step, Pete outlines how you can ramp the effect up a notch, to make it truly outstanding (Example: In the tutorial on glowing coals, the Taking it Further section talks about adjusting the underlying light intensity over time to really make it look like they are throbbing with heat.) While most tutorials would stop at the final result, the "Taking it Further" section of each chapter will really make your work stand out.

If you haven’t already guessed, I am a big fan of this book. I have bought several Max books for my studies, but without a doubt this is the most comprehensive and well laid out book I have purchased.

On a side note, thanks to both Amazon and Pete himself for helping me with a damaged copy of the DVD. While Pete offered to get the publishers to replace the DVD, Amazon sent a replacement as soon as I made an enquiry. Good support from the author and the seller!

Einmalig! Uneingeschränkt empfehlenswert!!

Das Buch ist einfach der Hammer, wenn man sich mit Max mehr als nur oberflächlich beschäftigen will. Man kommt aus dem Staunen nicht mehr heraus, wenn man gezeigt bekommt, was alles ohne plug-ins möglich ist. Solche Bücher sollte es auch in übersetzter Form für eine breitere Anwenderschicht geben - dennoch ist es auch mit dem normalen Schulenglisch gut verständlich. Die beigefügte DVD (!) rundet den hervorragenden Gesamteindruck noch ab. Hier werden noch zusätzliche Videotutorials geliefert, sowohl auch alle nötigen Basis- und Fertigscenen zu den fantastischen workshops.

Astounding - a book that is true to its name...REALISTIC!

This book is absolutely amazing. I may only be a student and an amature when it comes to learning 3ds max but this book is astounding! Each section (eg: creating fire for a candle - which is incidently your first task) is broken down into easy-to-follow steps. This is unlike any other book as it takes you through what to do in each section, and then explains WHY you did that and what impact it has. also - This is the only book I have read on 3ds max that is not outfited with lengthy paragraphs of text, making it diffictult to follow and pick up on should you put it down. Each section (Fire, water etc) begins with its own respective intoduction and then takes you through several applications of that element. EG: the FIRE section teaches you not only calm candle flames, but also about explosions and everything in between.

The DVD that accompanies the boox is also astounding - it has many many reference images on it along with each project as .max files in stages and also the a video render of what your scene will look like. This is one of those books which actually live up to what it says - more often than not when completing other books, I have been less than satisfied because my work never looks as good as the images shown in the book - This is different...I was amazed to find that with just a few simple steps that I could create a realistic image which matched that of the illustration.

NICE JOB!

Recomend to anyone

What can I say that hasn’t already. This book does exactly what it says it will. Master professional looking techniques in Max without a single plugin. The style of presentation is superb. Plenty of explanation without being techy or dry, every step (so far) easy to follow, and unlike many other tutorial books I’ve worked through the end reult on screen is pretty much exactly what you see in the book. Top notch stuff. Hope he writes another one.

Mehr davon

Sehr schönes Buch, jedes Kapitel ist wie ein Geschenk auspacken. Man wird Plug-in unabhängiger und man begreift 3DSMax in einer neuen Tiefe. Meister gefunden ! Mehr gibts nicht zu sagen.

Just about this book

This is an amazing book! When I first take this book in hand I thought it’s impossible to do all that stuff just by own tools of 3dsmax. I was wrong! I spend endless nights and days working with this book. As a result, the book of Pete Draper opens my eyes and now I look at max from very diffrent side. Before this book I do not even think how powerful is the program I’m working with. This book is written by a man how knows what he tells and as I see he is a great teacher! This book is out of those just telling you "what to pick and what to push". This book teaches you to THINK in the terms of 3dsmax.
After completing even a couple of tutorials you will be able to create more than you can before, because, as I said, you starting to create not by buttons or primitives but by open mind and knowledge that Pete gives you additionaly as a gift to his book. Now I can say, that this is not just a book, this is the gate to your future in the 3d world!

Breathtaking

This book is literally breathtaking. It was worth the long wait for it to be published! It is by far the best book for 3ds Max 6 I’ve read and no doubt this book will stay current for many future releases of Max.

Not only is the content of the highest quality, it’s printed in full colour with screen shots for each step (high res versions of which are available on the DVD). This book feels expensive! The DVD alone is something I wouldn’t be surprised to see selling for £50.

I’ve known of Pete for a couple of years, since reading articles he’d written for 3D World magazine. During this time he’s continually amazed me with the work he’s created, especially this book. If you don’t believe me, check his personal website. Free support for this book is also offered on his website, which is a great bonus.

A great book by a great artist.

Einfach nur Exzellent...

Pete’s Buch ist eines der besten 3dsmax Bücher die ich je gelesen habe. Nicht umsonst hat es ein Zertifikat von Discreet als offizielles Trainingsmaterial bekommen. Pete beschreibt sehr ausführlich wie man ohne teure Plug-Ins zu sehr guten Ergebnissen kommt. Jeder Abschnitt beginnt zunächst mit einer Analyse des Effektes. Hilfreich ist zudem das das gesamte verwendete Analysematerial mit auf der DVD ist, so daß man sich selber nochmal Videoaufnahmen oder Bilder des Effektes angucken kann. Bei dem "Walkthrough" der Effekte beschreibt der Autor jeden Schritt sehr ausführlich, Und im Gegensatz zu den meisten Büchern erklärt Pete nach jedem Schritt warum er so vorgegangen ist, und welche Vorteile dieses vorgehen hat. Gerade deshalb ragt das Buch auch aus der Masse hervor, weil es nicht nur eine "tu dies, dann das, dann erreichst du jenes" Anleitung ist.
Am Ende jedes Kapitels gibt der Autor dann nochmal hilfreiche Tips wie man die Szene noch weiter verbessern kann. Zusätzlich befinden sich auf der DVD noch 4 Videotutorials die insgesamt über 4 1/2 Stunden sind. Ich kann das Buch jeden empfehlen der noch mehr aus 3ds max rausholen möchte. Das Buch ist jeden Cent wert.

Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds max 6

This book is excellent it delivers exactly what you expect, plenty of different subject matters complete with step by step tutorials and explanations so you actually learn for yourself

Pete Draper is an excellent artist with many years of experience under his belt and his work clearly shows throughout this book. His explanations are clear and concise and never fail to communicate a step or procedure. The fact that everything in this book is creating without the need for 3rd party plugins is a testament to his skills and ingenuity.

The DVD that accompanies the book is worth the asking price alone. On it you will find for each subject, scenes & video for each of the projects. As a bonus there are also extra hires DVD video tutorials which are very easy to follow and greatly enhance an already brilliant book and disk.

The images in this book look fantastic. Sometimes when you follow other tutorials the result at the end is not as impressive as the atrists work, follow any tutorial in this book and not only will you be enlightened but you too will create highly convincing animations and images too.

Basically put this book delivers as you expect, good tutorials, plenty of quality content and value for money. I would have no hesitation in fully recommending this excellent book.
Enjoy !

Anthony Young