Intended for intermediate to advanced users of 3D Studio MAX, this volume provides step-by-step instructions for creating a wide array of effects using several freeware plug-ins that enhance the power of MAX, as well as all the standard tools shipped with MAX. A number of plug- ins are provided on the CD-ROM. Color illustrations. 10x8<">. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Jeffrey Abouaf is a fine artist, designer, and instructor whose experience includes animation and design for television, print, and the Web. He is a contributing author to Inside 3D Studio MAX Release 2.0, Volumes I and III, Inside 3D Studio MAX 3, and 3D Studio 2 Effects Magic. He follows industry developments in 3D graphics, animation, and virtual reality as a reporter and product reviewer for several publications, including Computer Graphics and Applications (IEEE), IEEE Multimedia, Game Developer Magazine, CGI, and CyberEdge Journal. He holds B.A., M.F.A., and J.D. degrees. He teaches 3D Studio MAX at San Francisco State's Multimedia Studies Program and the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. He has authored online tutorials for Kinetix for 3D Studio MAX R2 and spends substantial time exploring 3DS MAX as a fine-art tool. He can be reached at jabouaf@ogle.com or http://www.ogle.com.
It was a dark day in Canadian history back in '76 when Neil Blevins was born. Discovering early his love for art, he has attended numerous art classes and programs in the Montreal area, as well as several years of pure and applied science and computer programming. Graduating last year from Concordia University with a B.F.A. in design art, he now works full-time at Blur Studios in Venice, California, making special effects for film, video games, and broadcast media. His involvement with 3D Studio started back in the DOS days, when he was obsessed with making more complex and realistic images for video games. He's known in the 3D Studio community for many things, among them his involvement in the Kinetix Web board as a forum assistant, frequently answering questions and giving tips. He's also known for his distinct art style: dark, somber, and slightly disturbing images of alien and robotic life forms living in fantastic worlds, somewhere between Giger and the Top Cow comic books that he collects and loves. As quoted several years back, "All my life all I've ever really wanted to do was make cool monsters and get paid for it. And this is exactly what I'm doing." His Web page is located at http://www.soulburn3d.com.
Sean Bonney is a 3D animator, fine artist, and game designer who lives in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. Sean graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, in 1991, with a B.F.A. in Illustration and Design. He has been employed as graphic designer for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system for eight years. He has worked for Rainbow Studios in Phoenix, Arizona, on a variety of game and broadcast projects. Sean is currently the principal of Anvil Studios and specializes in freelance animation and game design. For more information about Sean Bonney or Anvil Studios, visit their Web site at anvil-studio.com or email sbonney@anvil-studio.com.
Brandon Davis has a long and varied background in art and animation. While serving overseas in the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), he gained a reputation for his traditional artwork created in his spare time. However, at that time, the digital revolution in animation was beginning. In 1995, he left the service after six years and pursued a career in digital animation. He has since worked on projects ranging from architectural and engineering animation to games and visual effects for film and broadcast. Since 1998, he's been filling the role of effects animator at Computer Café, a visual effects studio on the central California coast. His credits include the films Armageddon, Fever, and The Crow: Salvation, as well as dozens of commercial spots. Currently he's creating several shots for the new film Battlefield: Earth. For more information about Brandon, check out his Web site at http://www.3dluvr.com/brandon/.
Sanford Kennedy is an animator, author, and teacher of 3D computer graphics in Los Angeles, California. He worked in the motion picture special effects industry for 20 years and then moved into computer graphics. He has his own studio and currently teaches 3DS MAX at four colleges.
Douglas King is a professional writer and animator for the film and entertainment industry. He is also a contributing editor for Computer Graphics World magazine. He has written the script for an animated feature film to be released in 2001 and will be working on the production of the film as well.
Eni Oken is a freelance 3D artist based in Los Angeles. As an architect with 12 years of experience in computer graphics, she has participated in the creation of 3D art for numerous interactive projects, such as games, Web sites, virtual worlds, and multimedia for well known companies, including Activision, Sierra On-Line, L-Squared, and others. She has received several awards for her work, including two 3D Design Big Kahunas and others. She is also the author of three books, various magazine articles, and some chapters covering topics related to computer graphics. She is a frequent lecturer at well known conferences such as the 3D Design Conference and GDC. Currently, Eni devotes her time to creating texture collections, tutorials, writing, and creating unique pieces of 3D art. To contact Eni, or to see samples of her work, go to http://www.oken3d.com.
Michael Todd Peterson is the owner of MTP Grafx, a digital media company. MTP Grafx is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has a close working relationship with Digimation. In addition to writing, Todd still teaches, plays golf, and watches movies.
Sung-wook Su is a 3D artist and writer. He is currently working for NueArt Pictures in Montrose, California, which is making a 3D feature film. He received a B.F.A. degree in sculpture at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, Korea and has been involved in computer graphics for the past 10 years. Previous projects include creating CG simulations of the artist Nam Joon Paik's video art. He has served as an instructor of sketching, drawing, and computer graphics at various arts academies in recent years. He has also written the books 3D Studio MAX and Hints for 3D Studio MAX, versions 1.2 and 2.5. They are currently bestselling books in Korea and Japan. His Web page can be found at http://www.cyber.co.kr/~ssumax/.
