Creative Cow Leader Michael Hurwicz looks at three books on 3ds Max (two new ones based on 3ds Max 2010, and one based on 3ds Max 2009) and finds each useful in its own way.
In this 3ds Max 2010 tutorial, Michael Hurwicz Michael Hurwicz looks at the new Particle Paint feature, which allows you to spray particle seeds on any object. You then use new operators in the Particle Flow system to convert these seeds to particles. The tutorial demonstrates freehand painting and uses the new Birth Paint operator to convert the seeds to particles.
In this 3ds Max 2010 tutorial, Michael Hurwicz introduces the new Graphite Modeling Tools, and in particular the Generate Topology feature, which allows you to quickly change the underlying structure of an editable poly to resemble bricks, tiles, diamond shapes, and a number of other options. The tutorial uses bricks as a demonstration of this capability.
In this 3ds Max 2010 tutorial, Michael Hurwicz looks at the new viewport label menus, which provide quicker access to some of the most common viewport-related functions, such as showing statistics, showing and hiding the grid, changing the view (e.g. front, back, perspective), and changing the shading mode (e.g. smooth and highlights, wireframe, edged faces)..
In this 3ds Max tutorial, Michael Hurwicz provides an introduction to the InfoCenter, a new feature in 3ds Max 2009 which makes it easier to search and navigate documentation and other sources of information.
In this 3ds Max tutorial, Michael Hurwicz provides an introduction to the View Cube and the Steering Wheel, new features in 3ds Max 2009 which make it easier to perform viewport navigation operations like orbit, pan and zoom.
Author/Videographer/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz examines Flash CS3 Professional Video Studio Techniques by Robert Reinhardt, and recommends it to those looking to push their Flash sites to professional levels of reliability and user-friendliness.
Creative Cow Leader Michael Hurwicz looks at DVFilm's Raylight plug-in, which provides transparent support for Panasonic MXF files in Sony Vegas. Testing Vegas Pro 8 running under Microsoft Vista, Michael finds Raylight to be an elegant and reliable solution.
Michael Hurwicz looks at Max Monster Pak, a giant collection of 3D models, textures, motion capture files, and bonus software for 3d max from Digimation.
Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz examines ''Animation Writing and Development: from Script Development to Pitch'' by Jean Ann Wright, and finds it inspiring and informative. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants a career in writing for animation, or who is developing an animation script or idea. Wright is a seasoned industry professional, and it shows.
Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz gives us a first look at Dell's new Precision M90 mobile workstation, and finds that it's a significant step forward in technology. But should you wait for what's around the corner?
Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz examines ''Stop Staring'' by Jason Osipa, and finds that the author manages to make his detailed, in-the-trenches instruction fun. Highly recommended if you want to really get down into the details of lip sync and facial animation.
Michael Hurwicz looks at Kenneth LaRue's combustion 4 training DVDs and concludes that this set is great for novices and intermediates alike, but if you're already an expert, you may only need the 'What's New in Combustion 4' set that's available.
Michael Hurwicz looks at Advanced 3ds Max Character Modeling, a training DVD by Kenny Cooper (demo artist and primary narrator) and Jim Lammers (project manager and some narration) of Trinity3D.
Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz examines 'Model, Rig, Animate with 3ds max 7' by Michele Bousquet. This slim volume covers the entire process of creating a 3D character animaton, from modeling to rigging and animation. It is very step-by-step in its approach. Although the subject matter is intermediate, even dedicated beginners should be able to follow along. Highly recommended.
Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz looks at MAXScript 101, a training DVD by John Wainwright, the creator of MAXScript and determines that this is one of the best video-based training courses of any kind.
Michael Hurwicz looks at 3ds Max 7 Courseware and Training DVDs from Autodesk Media and Entertainment. These include 3ds Max 7 New Features and Production Workflow, Fundamentals and Beyond Courseware, and the 3ds Max Master Class Series Training DVDs.
Author/Web developer Michael Hurwicz examines Reality ColdFusion MX: Flash MX Integration by Ben Forta, Randy Drisgill, Dennis Baldwin, Matt Tatam, and Derek Lu. This book is published by Macromedia press. The book discusses goals, logic and development process behind four projects, for which full source code is available on-line. A great way to get a jump start on ColdFusion/Flash integration. Recommended for intermediate Flash and ColdFusion users -- not for beginners.
Author and Animator Michael Hurwicz examines 3ds max 5 Fundamentals by Ted Boardman. This book is published by New Riders. An update of Boardman's previous book on 3ds max 4, this book is primarily a series of excellent tutorials covering the fundamental elements of 3ds Max 5. It also covers general principles, workflow, tips and traps. Highly recommended.
