1. Introduction and project overview
2. Interface overview
3. Viewport navigation
4. Creating a 3ds Max project folder
5. Selecting and viewing objects
6. Creating and manipulating geometry
7. Accessing sub-object modes
8. Grouping and parenting
9. Modeling overview
10. Setting up reference images
11. Modeling the hull
12. Beginning the helmet
13. Smoothing the splines
14. Finishing the helmet
15. Modeling the pelvis
16. Modeling the shoulder mount
17. Modeling the shoulder socket
18. Modeling the upper arm
19. Modeling the elbow joint
20. Modeling the arm cannon housing
21. Modeling the arm cannon interior
22. Modeling the gun barrel
23. Mirroring the arm
24. Modeling the upper leg
25. Finishing the upper leg
26. Modeling the middle leg link
27. Modeling the lower leg
28. Modeling the front foot piece
29. Modeling the back foot piece
30. Modeling the mid sections
31. Modeling the jet pack tank
32. Modeling the jet pack exhaust
33. Modifying the hip to function
34. Modeling a hose
35. Adding the final elements
36. Using smoothing methods
37. Smoothing the shoulder pieces
38. Smoothing the arm pieces
39. Smoothing the accessory pieces
40. Smoothing the lower body of the mech
41. Adding the final details of the helmet
42. Materials and texturing overview
43. Material editor overview
44. Modifying the basic parameters of a material
45. Adding multiple materials to a single object
46. Using procedural maps
47. Unwrapping UV basics
48. Exploring the unwrapping tools
49. Using substance materials
50. Outputting a UVW template
51. Adding file textures
52. Adding a bump map
53. Rigging overview
54. Preparing our model to be rigged
55. Creating groups in 3ds Max
56. Finishing the grouping process of our model
57. Creating a global control
58. Building a control object for the mech's upper torso
59. Creating a control for the mech's lower torso
60. Controlling the lower back
61. Adding a control for the mech's center-of-mass
62. Building your first bone chain
63. Finishing our initial bone chain
64. Setting up bone chains for the mech's toes.
65. Mirroring bones in 3ds Max
66. Connecting the mech's legs to follow the rig
67. Skinning objects in 3ds Max
68. Deforming the fueling line's envelope object
69. Controlling the fueling line
70. Deforming the mech's mid section
71. Attaching the mid section to follow our rig
72. Creating the mech's arm bones
73. Connecting the arms to our rig and adding inverse kinematics to the limbs
74. Controlling the mech's legs
75. Finishing the leg controls
76. Creating custom attributes and wiring parameters
77. Arm controls
78. Rigging with the Reaction Manager
79. Making our scene animator-friendly
80. Animation overview
81. How to create and edit keyframes in 3ds Max
82. Managing keyframes in the Curve Editor and cycling animation infinitely
83. Working with Auto Key and creating simple expressions in the Curve Editor
84. Creating expressions
85. Path animation
86. Creating crowds with Populate
87. Starting on our final project
88. Animating the mech's platform
89. Blocking in the mech's performance
90. Finalizing our blocking pass and starting on our polishing stage
91. Finishing the mech's polishing pass
92. Adding a shot camera
93. Wrapping up the animation and previewing animations in real-time
94. Dynamics overview
95. Creating particles in 3ds Max
96. Modifying the particle system behavior
97. Using space warps
98. Creating the fog material
99. Finalizing the fog material
100. Finalizing the particle system
101. Lighting and rendering overview
102. Understanding light types in 3ds Max
103. Basic light parameters in 3ds Max
104. Understanding diffuse and specular components
105. Utilizing the Object Properties window in 3ds Max
106. Changing the rendering engine used by 3ds Max
107. Setting up image-based lighting in 3ds Max
108. Working with additional light sources in 3ds Max
109. Optimizing render speed in 3ds Max
110. Fine-tuning particles and other materials
111. Adding motion blur and improving rendered image quality
112. Outputting our final animation from 3ds Max
113. Converting an image sequence to a movie file in 3ds Max

00. Introduction

1. Welcome
2. Using the exercise files

01. Getting Started

1. Using project folders
2. Customize user interface and defaults
3. Setting preferences

02. 3ds Max Interface

1. Getting familiar with the interface
2. Using the Create and Modify panels
3. Choosing units of measurement
4. Controlling the grid display
5. Navigating in viewports
6. Using hotkeys
7. Transforming objects
8. Choosing shading modes
9. Configuring viewports

03. Modeling Basics

1. Creating an image plane
2. Controlling Display properties
3. Creating primitives
4. Working with Scene Explorer
5. Understanding level of detail
6. Working with the modifier stack
7. Understanding dependencies
8. Collapsing the modifier stack

04. Polygon Modeling

1. Using the Graphite ribbon with Editable Poly
2. Working with subobjects
3. Welding vertices
4. Choosing a transform center
5. Detailing with Cut and Remove
6. Detailing with QuickSlice
7. Using soft selection
8. Faceting corners with Chamfer
9. Using Window/Crossing Selection
10. Using Paint Selection
11. Combining objects with Attach
12. Joining elements with Bridge
13. Branching polygons with Extrude
14. Smoothing and hardening edges

05. Subdivision Surface Modeling

1. Understanding subdivision surfaces
2. Creating an editable poly object
3. Adding the Symmetry modifier
4. Choosing NURMS or TurboSmooth
5. Roughing out the shape
6. Inserting edge loops with SwiftLoop
7. Constraining subobject transforms
8. Welding the seam
9. Adding asymmetry
10. Baking subdivisions

06. Free-Form Modeling

1. Sculpting with Paint Deform
2. Using Noise and Relax Brushes
3. Setting Paint options
4. Controlling Brush options
5. Conforming one object to another
6. Sculpting with Conform Transform brushes
7. Duplication with Object Paint
8. Positioning objects with Select and Place

07. Spline Modeling

1. Creating a line
2. Moving a pivot point
3. Revolving a surface with a Lathe modifier
4. Using different vertex types
5. Using axis constraints
6. Extending a spline
7. Snapping an Arc primitive
8. Combining splines with Attach and Merge
9. Rounding corners with Fillet
10. Offsetting a spline with Outline
11. Adjusting level of detail with Interpolation

08. NURBS Modeling

1. Understanding NURBS
2. Creating NURBS curves
3. Converting objects to NURBS
4. Cloning subobjects
5. Creating a U loft surface
6. Rebuilding curves
7. Setting Surface Approximation
8. Grouping objects

09. Hierarchies

1. Understanding hierarchies
2. Moving and rotating pivot points
3. Understanding coordinate systems
4. Setting Axis Order for rotation
5. Linking objects
6. Using the Schematic view
7. Locking transforms
8. Avoiding problems with scale

10. 3D Motion Graphic Design

1. Exporting paths from Adobe Illustrator
2. Importing Illustrator paths to 3ds Max
3. Creating a Text primitive
4. Applying a Bevel modifier
5. Instancing a modifier
6. Editing text splines
7. Viewport clipping
8. Controlling level of detail
9. Editing polygons

11. Layout and Camera Basics

1. Merging scenes
2. Managing Display layers
3. Creating a target camera
4. Enabling Safe Frames
5. Choosing an aspect ratio in Render Setup
6. Adjusting Field of View
7. Using a free camera

12. Keyframe Animation

1. Setting up Time Configuration
2. Choosing Set Key Filters
3. Creating keyframes in Set Key mode
4. Editing keyframes in the timeline
5. Editing position keys with trajectories
6. Editing function curves in the Curve Editor
7. Creating keyframes in Auto Key mode
8. Building up animation in passes
9. Editing keyframes in the Dope Sheet

13. Controllers and Constraints

1. Understanding controllers
2. Assigning a Link constraint
3. Adding link targets in the Motion panel
4. Animating constrained objects
5. Constraining animation to a path

14. Lighting Basics

1. Understanding CG lighting
2. Creating a target spotlight
3. Adjusting intensity and color
4. Setting spotlight Hotspot and Falloff
5. Correcting gamma
6. Previewing renders with ActiveShade
7. Controlling contrast and highlights
8. Choosing a shadow type
9. Optimizing shadow maps
10. Optimizing area shadows
11. Creating Omni fill lights
12. Using the Light Lister
13. Excluding objects from lights

15. Materials Basics

1. Using the Slate Material Editor
2. Choosing material and shading types
3. Working with scene materials
4. Adjusting specular parameters
5. Assigning Multi/Sub-Object materials

16. Mapping Textures

1. Applying 3D procedural maps
2. Working with bitmap image files
3. Tracking scene assets
4. Projecting UVW mapping
5. Using Real-World Map Size
6. Mapping a bump channel
7. Adding reflections with a Raytrace map
8. Painting objects with Viewport Canvas

17. Rendering Basics

1. Choosing a renderer
2. Choosing Quicksilver options
3. Enabling motion blur in the software renderer
4. Rendering image sequences
5. Playing image sequences in the RAM Player

18. Rendering with mental ray

1. Controlling mental ray sample quality
2. Tuning Final Gather
3. Enabling motion blur in mental ray
4. Distance blurring with depth of field

19. Conclusion