Books for learning 3DS Max?

Noodle!

So I've been using Maya exclusively but in an upcoming project we'll be using Max as part of the pipeline. I've got about 1 month of spare time to learn this.

I learned maya mainly through the "Learning Maya 2009" book, and I'm wondering if there's something similar for Max? The modifier system and navigation is quite different from what I'm used to.

Joao Sapiro

F1 will do ( trust me )

Arcanox

Yeah, I have to second that. I tried the book thing way back when I was learning, and I honestly got a lot more mileage out of F1 and the Internet.

Autodesk has their Area site that hosts a bunch of free video tutorials. If you hunt around for a few minutes, and set your search terms for Max-Beginner, you'll probably find some introduction videos that should teach you the basic concepts.

http://area.autodesk.com/tutorials

Viewport navigation for example: http://area.autodesk.com/tutorials/viewport_navigation_in_3ds_max

r_fletch_r

Johnys spot on. Maxes docs have got it covered.

Do all the tutorials and see how you feel.

Mark Dygert

Yep F1, and Main Menu > Help. Also don't ignoring the pop-up with learning movies, that come up when it first launches. Also the "learning path" is a great place for info.

I know in other apps those docs are slow, unhelpful and often just "thanks for buying!" but in 3dsmax its crazy helpful. They not only explain what the function/button/thing does but normally give an example of how to use it.

Noodle!

Thanks guys, I'll try that and those links! Much obliged.

Justin Meisse

I was a Maya guy that had to use Max for an art test a few years ago, I used 3D Buzz - I spent about 2 nights learning max and the rest doing the test - I got the job so it worked out pretty good