Rating: 
Summary: Where are the NURBS?
Review: I saw this book and its reviews and hoped it would actually be "In Depth" coverage of 3D Studio. The main reason I bought the book was for help using the NURBS surfaces, this page barely has over twenty pages of NURBS information. The NURBS info that is provided is the same information I found in the program's help files. If anyone knows of a book that actually goes in depth with NURBS please email me. Schliz_King@yahoo.com. Thanks
Rating:
Summary: Where are the NURBS?
Review: I saw this book and its reviews and hoped it would actually be "In Depth" coverage of 3D Studio. The main reason I bought the book was for help using the NURBS surfaces, this page barely has over twenty pages of NURBS information. The NURBS info that is provided is the same information I found in the program's help files. If anyone knows of a book that actually goes in depth with NURBS please email me. Schliz_King@yahoo.com. Thanks
Rating: 
Summary: used book looks new and un-used
Review: I'm new to 3D max and dont really plan on making money useing it, so I decided to try used books on Max and save a few $ and just learn to enjoy the world of 3D for my own use, I must say that the 3 used books I bought were completely new and appeared un-used, as well as the CD's un-opened or used. Also surpisingly that all 3 arrived within 4 working days of ordering, during xmas no less......hats off to all involved, you seem to have your act together. My advice to novices like myself, try the used books and save a chunk of change, you wont be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A clear, well-informed guide to this program
Review: I've always enjoyed Rob Polevoi's column at internet.com, and this book reads like the column. It's fresh, knowledgeable, and sensible, and my hat is off to the author.
Rating:
Summary: 3D Studio MAX 3: In Depth
Review: In response to the everpresent newbie question of "What is a good beginner's book for learning MAX?", I just had to put in a word for this book. AWESOME!If you are a novice MAX user who has completed the tutorials in the MAX 3 documentation, then this book is the one you want. It complements the MAX 3 tutorials far better than ANY book I've ever seen, and in my opinion is an absolute necessity for ANY beginner. Unless you're coming from a previous version, Polevoi's book will give you a deeper understanding of the program than you ever thought was possible. You get a truly overhead view of Parametric Objects, the Modifier Stack, Transforms, Coordinate Systems, Pivot Points, Home & User Grids, Instancing & Referencing, Arrays.....all in the first 5 chapters. He also bluntly describes what MAX does better, worse or just different in comparison to other 3D programs.....an expert perspective that you'll never get from the DISCREET insiders who write the New Riders books. I'm only 1/4 through the book, and I've never felt more "on top" of the program. The tutorials included in MAX 3 are a neccessary first step (and are far better than in previous versions), but the constant omissions never let you feel like you have a true grasp on the program. Polevoi's book puts everything you've done into an incredibly simple perspective.....you'll be silently saying to yourself "Wow!" and "Aha!" throughout the beginning of the book. No longer is the MAX interface a mystery that you hope will make sense later. This book gives you insight into MAX's underlying structure, and leaves you with a very encouraging context in which to view what you haven't learned yet. If your hopes of learning MAX are fading in frustration and depression, the book is better than Prozac. No kidding.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good but lacking in some areas...
Review: It's great how the book reads almost like a novel, and also a great reference when you need one. Very good Nurbs-chapter. The book is called "In Depth" and you supposedly would want to get a little deeper into Max than what this book does though. For instance, when discussing "Fit Deformation" the author writes that it's too difficult for this book to cover. My advise is - carefully study the Index and make sure the things you want to know more about are listed before buying. The subjects that are covered are very good and you will get a very good understanding of Max from reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is BORING
Review: Ok guys if you don't enjoy reading THAT much then just forget about this book. This book is good for learning but I am falling asleep reading it. It is hard to understand and following through the head making excercise was a huge pain in the ..... for me. If you enjoy reading and you want to learn 3D STUDIO MAX this is for you If you want to learn the program but you don't like to read that much then find a simpler book because this one is hard to read :(
Rating:
Summary: Great coverage of the fundamentals
Review: Prior to reading this book, my favorite MAX book was Jon Bell's 3D Studio Max 2.5 Design & f/x... While I picked up the R3 edition to look for any updates, I quickly found that this book had stolen away the position of favorite. It's easily the most clearly written, logically-explained 3d Studio MAX book I've ever come across. The author takes great pains to help you understand where MAX is coming from in his examples, which is extremely helpful, since MAX does some things quite differently from other competing products. While it could stand some more coverage on certain advanced topics, it's a fantastic overview of the fundamentals. If you're new to MAX, or haven't "gotten it" in the past, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Put away your paintbrush
Review: Put away your paintbrush. This is not a paint-by the-numbers book like so many other max books are. You know the ones -- you get done with a tutorial and ask yourself "what is it that I just did?" Mr. Polevoi not only gives you the lesson but also takes you behind the scences and into the mind of a skilled max practioner. He takes the time to EXPLAIN what is your doing, and you come away with the feeling that you are truly learning something. Admittedly, I'm a light-weight Maxer, but this is by far the best book I have encountered. It's not colorful, nor is it highly stylized, but if you want good basic information that will set you atop a good foundation, I believe this book will do that. Be warned though: it is written in a straight-forward style but it does assume a certain intelligence on the readers part. For the begining Maxer--you can't beat it, in my opinion. Why cicn't I give it five stars? I think I'm saving that for Mr. polevoi's next book. I only hope that Mr. Polevoi revists the subjuect soon and takes us even deeper.
Rating:
Summary: Learn Max as a total package
Review: Rob Polevoi's book is unique in that he takes the reader systematically through all the many aspects of working with Max and demonstrates in a logical way how they relate to each other. As a professional educator Rob deals particularly well with introducing readers to unfamiliar material. Each topic is introduced with complete instruction and referred to subsequently with such sparing repetition that you have to think for yourself to recall what has gone before. In this way this book is written to teach, not as a list of programme functions. Throughout the text Rob emphasises that his teaching approach focuses on 3d animation principles and he brings his knowledge of other programmes to his explanations of how and why to chose which animation methods from the options available. This is the most complete book on learning Max that I have come across. The reference manuals contain all this information but are not written from a teaching viewpoint, which is the great uniqueness of this book. Supplementary reading will still be required on nurbs modelling and character animation which each require a book in themselves. I recommend this book for readers wanting a book which covers Max as a totality, by an author who surely knows this programme inside out.
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