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LinkedIn Learning

3ds Max: Tips, Tricks and Techniques

via LinkedIn Learning

Overview

Stay on top of the latest 3ds Max tools and techniques. Get a new tip every Wednesday to expand your 3ds Max knowledge and skills.

Syllabus

New This Week
  • Parametric soft transforms with Affect Region
Introduction
  • Welcome
  • What to know
  • Exercise files
3ds Max: Tips and Tricks
  • Modeling a floor plan from a 2D drafting document
  • Modeling terrain with Displace space warp
  • Projecting UVs with the Camera Map world-space modifier
  • Capturing shadows with Arnold Shadow Matte map
  • Rendering compositing passes with Arnold AOVs
  • Mechanical rigging with IK and the LookAt controller
  • Modulating animation with Multiply and Ease Curves
  • Working with audio and the AudioFloat controller
  • Automating with Expression controllers
  • Real-time animation with the Motion Capture utility
  • Stylized rendering with Scanline Ink 'n Paint
  • Getting started with the Max Creation Graph
  • Modifying a Max Creation Graph tool
  • Sculpting a terrain with Texture Object Mask
  • Building a road with Conform space warp
  • Shading a landscape with Arnold Curvature
  • Creating custom attributes with the Parameter Editor
  • Driving animation curves with the Reaction controller
  • Rigging a camera-facing matte painting
  • Aligning a camera to a background with Perspective Match
  • Projecting a photo to proxy geometry with Camera Map
  • Automation with wire parameters and manipulators
  • Converting scenes for different renderers
  • Rendering light groups with Arnold AOVs
  • Graphing scene conditions with State Sets Compositor
  • Introduction to 3ds Max Fluids
  • Modeling with the Motion Field Space Warp
  • Non-destructive model adjustment with Linked Xform
  • Animating sub-objects with Linked Xform
  • Customize and cycle Path Constraint animation
  • Generate complex motion with Waveform Controllers
  • Illuminate a scene with an Arnold Mesh Light
  • Shading with Maya maps in 3ds Max
  • Varying shader properties by object with Arnold Color Jitter
  • Render a mesh object with Arnold Standard Volume
  • Render a Point Cloud object
  • Setting track value boundaries with a limit controller
  • Drawing curves with Freehand Spline
  • Correcting intersections with Spline Overlap
  • Reducing curve detail with Optimize Spline
  • Resampling curves with Normalize Spline
  • Soft-selecting curves with Spline Influence
  • Blending curves with Spline Morph
  • Combining splines with shape Booleans
  • Approximating global illumination in Arnold
  • Rendering proxies with Arnold procedurals
  • Introduction to the Open Shading Language map
  • Basic syntax of Open Shading Language
  • Declaring OSL input and output parameters
  • Generating a fractal noise pattern in OSL
  • Iterating a for loop in OSL
  • Using the if… else conditional statement in OSL
  • Managing OSL file assets and paths
  • Accelerate Arnold rendering with adaptive sampling
  • Texturing with the Advanced Wood procedural map
  • Art directing the Advanced Wood texture map
  • Setting a fluid initial state
  • In-camera compositing with Camera Map modifier
  • Creating animation layers
  • Collaborate online with shared views
  • Rendering iridescence with Arnold Thin Film
  • Loading and saving fluid presets
  • Introduction to 3ds Max Interactive
  • Building a motion graphics rig with Data Channel
  • Creating custom project folder structures
  • Open Shading Language code editor tips and tricks
  • Spawning particles from a 3D map
  • Rendering a starfield
  • Faking GI with an Arnold ambient occlusion filter
  • Modeling with the animation Snapshot tool
  • Rendering particles with Arnold Standard Volume
  • Render Arnold volume with physical values
  • Volume indirect global illumination in Arnold
  • Removing polygon detail with Freeform Optimize
  • Transform and retime a cache with Fluid Loader
  • Rendering motion blur in Arnold
  • Drawing splines on an editable poly
  • Sketching freeform topology over a polygon mesh
  • Animating effects with Data Channel Decay
  • Animating controllers in the Material Editor
  • Painting a vertex color mask with VertexPaint
  • Drawing polygon freeform strips
  • Extruding polygon freeform branches
  • Interactive ActiveShade in a viewport
  • Fluid data channels
  • Displaying fluid data channels
  • Assigning UVW coordinates in an OSL network
  • Using named coordinate spaces in Open Shading Language (OSL)
  • Shadow group exclusion with Arnold properties
  • Erasing materials with MAXScript or UVW Remove
  • Understanding Fluid Churn and Vorticity channels
  • Rendering Fluid channels with Arnold User Data
  • Keyframe quantization and sub-frame editing with Snap Keys
  • Importing a CAD solid model as a Body Object
  • Solid model subtraction and intersection with Body Cutter
  • Solid model union with Join Bodies
  • Denoising an Arnold rendering
  • Interactive Update in the animation Curve Editor
  • Curve Editor view menu: Tips and tricks
  • Editing animation curves with the Region Keys tool
  • Combining data channels of Fluids
  • Shading per object with OSL Random by Index
  • Layering materials of Fluids
  • Render particles as Arnold primitives
  • Render PFlow particles with Arnold Shape
  • Remapping colors with Arnold Ramp RGB
  • Rendering contours with Arnold Toon
  • Mapping Arnold Toon base color
  • Controlling preview quality
  • Adding information overlays to a preview with MAXScript
  • Modeling with the updated Chamfer modifier
  • Applying a chamfer using edge weight and depth
  • Baking a map to a mesh with Assign Vertex Color
  • Generating cavity and occlusion maps with Render Surface Map
  • Baking multiple vertex color channels with VertexPaint
  • Compositing vertex color in a shading network
  • Optimizing geometry with the MultiRes modifier
  • Improving viewport performance with the Substitute modifier
  • Constructing a lighting assembly
  • Wiring parameters in a lighting assembly
  • Measuring with tape helper, the Measure Distance tool, and the Measure utility
  • Display panel tips and tricks
  • Quickly adjusting transforms and pivot point with the Transform Toolbox
  • Stacking objects with Select and Place
  • Managing objects and sub-objects with selection sets
  • Referencing scenes with containers
  • Changing inherited container content with Edit in Place
  • Locking and unlocking container parameters
  • Editing unlocked container parameters
  • Projecting splines onto surfaces with ShapeMerge
  • Analyzing and correcting mesh geometry with xView
  • Keyframing sub-objects with the Master Point controller
  • Managing scene materials with Material Explorer
  • Defining a temporary transform center with working pivot
  • Customizing keyboard shortcuts with Hotkey editor
  • Stylized rendering with OSL Halftone Dots map
  • Incorporating scene lighting in a shading network
  • Incorporating render resolution in a shading network
  • Situating geometry within an OSL HDRI environment
  • Studio lighting with HDRI lights map
  • White balance and exposure with an Arnold camera filtermap
  • Rasterizing maps with bake to texture
  • Advanced baking with bake to texture
  • Baking to physically based renderer (PBR) materials for export
  • Production rendering with Quicksilver hardware
  • Varying textures with OSL Randomized Bitmaps
  • Deforming a particle system with the Mesher compound object
  • Set up Arnold render passes with AOV Manager
  • Animating multiple tracks with Parameter Collector
  • Improving edge smoothing with Weighted Normals modifier
  • Rendering a cutaway with the Arnold Clip Geo material
  • Advanced procedural noise with Uber Noise map
  • Rendering polygon edges with OSL Wireframe map
  • Art directing the OSL Wireframe map
  • Introduction to MassFX Rigid Body dynamics
  • Setting up a MassFX Rigid Body simulation
  • Controlling a MassFX Rigid Body simulation
  • Fine-tuning a MassFX Rigid Body simulation
  • Automating secondary animation with the Flex modifier
  • Keyframing modeling commands with the Edit Poly Animate mode
  • Generating UVs with OSL projection maps
  • Retiming all keyframes in a scene with the world track
  • Snapping surfaces dynamically with MCG Ray Constraint
  • Complex sub-object selections with the Selection ribbon
  • Adding polygon edges with Paint Connect
  • Manipulating sub-objects without changing mapping with Preserve UVs
  • Hiding geometry based on distance with Viewport Clipping
  • Navigating a scene with walkthrough mode

Taught by

Aaron F. Ross

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