Includes index.

Chapter 1: Basic Concepts; How to Read This Book; What Is CGI?; Production Workflow; CG Workflow; CG Specialties; Fundamental Concepts; Coordinate Systems; Animation Fundamentals; 3ds Max Fundamental Terms and Concepts; Summary --
Chapter 2: Your First 3ds Max Project; Getting Around in 3ds Max; Project and File-Management Workflow; The 3ds Max Interface; Jumping Headlong into Production; Summary --
Chapter 3: The 3ds Max Interface; What Am I Looking At?; Screen Layout Command Panels Controls at the Bottom of the UI; The Viewports; Managing Scene Objects; Scene Explorer; The Quad Menu and the Caddy Interface; Summary --
Chapter 4: Modeling in 3ds Max: Part I; Planning Your Model; Modeling Concepts; Modifiers and the Modifier Stack; Look at the Mesh You Got Us Into!; Editable Poly Tools; Modeling a Chest of Drawers; Summary --
Chapter 5: Modeling in 3ds Max: Part II; Building the Red Rocket; Summary --
Chapter 6: Character Poly Modeling; Setting Up the Scene; Creating the Soldier; Summary --
Chapter 7: Materials and Mapping; Materials; The Material Editor Mapping a Pool Ball Mapping, Just a Little Bit More; Exploring the Various Map Types; Using Opacity Maps; Mapping the Rocket; Mapping the Soldier; Summary --
Chapter 8: Introduction to Animation; The Mobile Redux: Setting Up Hierarchies; Ready, Set, Animate!; Animating the Rest of the Mobile; Using Dummy Objects; The Bouncing Ball; Using the Track View-Curve Editor; Track View; Anticipation and Momentum in Knife Throwing; Summary --
Chapter 9: Character Studio and IK Animation; Character Animation; Character Studio Workflow; Creating a Biped; Animating a Biped Associating a Biped with the Soldier Model Using Inverse Kinematics; Summary --
Chapter 10: 3ds Max Lighting; Basic Lighting Concepts; Three-Point Lighting; 3ds Max Lights; Common Light Parameters; Ambient Light; Lighting the Red Rocket; Atmospheres and Effects; Light Lister; Summary --
Chapter 11: 3ds Max Rendering; Rendering Setup; Motion Blur; Previewing with Active Shade; Cameras; Safe Frame; Render Elements; Rendering Effects; Raytraced Reflections and Refractions; Bringing It All Together: Rendering the Rocket; mental ray Renderer; Final Gather with mental ray; Summary --
Chapter 12: Particles and Dynamics Understanding Particle Systems; Setting Up a Particle System; Particle Systems and Space Warps; Using Rigid Body Dynamics; Using Soft Body Dynamics; Summary; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

An Autodesk Official Training Guide to 3ds Max 2011 3ds Max is a popular 3D animation-and-effects software used in movies, visual effects, games, cartoons, short films, commercials, and other animation. However, it also presents a number of challenges to newcomers.