3D Modeling Tutorials, Lessons, and Software Reviews
- Review: 3ds Max 2009
- This new version of 3ds Max offers a wide range of updates to a popular application. This week we look at several of these updates, including: the ViewCube, Steering Wheels, Photometric Lighting, MentalRay ProMaterials and more. By Nathan Segal
- Create a 3D Scene with Maya and Photoshop: Part 1
- Building and texturing a flying saucer in 3D. By Nathan Segal
- Software Review: Informatix Piranesi
- A hybrid application between 3D and 2D. By Nathan Segal
- 3D in Depth: Lighting: Part 2
- Lighting continued, including 3 point lighting. By Nathan Segal
- 3D in Depth: Lighting: Part 1
- Introduction to lighting concepts. By Nathan Segal
- Book Review: Texturing: Concepts and Techniques
- Review with resource material. By Nathan Segal
- Book Review: Getting a Job in CG: Real Advice from Reel People
- Review with resource material. By Nathan Segal
- 3D in Depth: Materials: Part 2
- Texture creation for your 3D models. By Nathan Segal
- 3D in Depth: Materials: Part 1
- An introduction to materials in 3D. By Nathan Segal
- 3D in Depth: Cameras
- An overview of cameras and how they work in 3D. By Nathan Segal
- A Real-World Project
- How to use 3D to create images for an art exhibition. By Nathan Segal
- Book Review: Stop Staring
- This book covers facial modeling and animation. By Jason Osipa. By Nathan Segal
- Modeling for Animation
- Planning your workflow, including timelines, research, detail, texturing, lighting, final image size, etc. By Nathan Segal
- Animation Tips and Tricks
- The animation process, including storyboards, file formats, polygon reduction, etc. By Nathan Segal
- 3D Modeling for Profit
- Here, you'll learn how to make ongoing royalties from your 3D models. By Nathan Segal
- Swift 3D: Vector Animation for the Web
- Swift 3D is a plug-in which converts 3D geometry into vector animation for Flash. By Nathan Segal
- Effective Export/Import of 3D Models
- Effective Export/Import models from one application to the other. By Nathan Segal
More articles from ... WebReference.com
3-D Animation Workshop
The lessons below represent the archived column of Robert Polevoi, with lessons dating from April 1997 - May 2001.
- WildTangent for Online Games
- Outstanding technology for interactive 3D development.
- Welding Vertices in Max 4
- Fundamental changes in basic techniques.
- New Subdivision Tools in Max 4
- Refined control and better integration.
- Polygon Basics in Max 4
- Editable Poly makes life simpler.
- New Polygon Modeling in Max 4
- Assessing the Editable Poly revolution.
- First Look at Max 4
- Initial observations on the new release.
- Photorealistic Web 3D for E-Commerce
- Kaon Interactive delivers razor-sharp 3D graphics using Java.
- From Geometry to Pictures
- Basic rendering concepts explained.
- Getting Under the Hood
- The nuts and bolts of 3D scene descriptions.
- Understanding 3D Technologies
- Digging deeper to remain competitive.
- Scan the Skies!
- Designing a Web 3D game.
- Designing Web 3D Interfaces
- More advanced projects from the new book.
- Web 3D 2.0
- Interactive projects from my new book on Shout3D.
- Second Generation 3D
- New technologies are shaping the future.
- Finishing the Character
- The completed biped figure.
- Modeling the Character
- Building the basic form.
- My Modeling Secret
- Making MAX behave.
- MAX Character Modeling
- Subdivision surfaces introduced.
- Character Arms and Legs
- On to the extremities.
- More Character Skinning
- Perfecting the chest.
- Skinning a Character Skeleton
- Attaching flesh to bones.
- Inverse Kinematics in MAX
- We dissect a simple chain.
- MAX for Character Animation
- We start a critical examination.
- From Sci-Fi to E-Commerce
- Blaxxun's Multi-User 3D Communities
- More Rendering Refinements
- Caustics add a touch of class.
- Refinements in Rendering
- Global illumination in Mental Ray 2.1.
- Thinking in Pulse 3D
- New concepts to ponder in Web 3D.
- Lightmaps in Pulse 3D
- Great, fast lighting for realtime Web 3D.
- The Pulse of Web 3D Entertainment
- Character animation for the Internet.
- Learning 3D Graphics
- The education (or self-education) of the 3D artist.
- The New 3D Artist
- New opportunities demand new skills.
- More Cult3D Interactivity
- Building a virtual consumer gadget.
- Cult3D Automates Interactivity
- Strong authoring tools for Web 3D
- Superscape Reborn in Web 3D
- New ideas from an old player.
- More on MetaStream
- A closer look at multi-resolution Web 3D.
- 3D E-Commerce With MetaStream
- The Virtual Store Debuts
- VRML to Web 3D Continued
- VRML is alive and kicking.
- From VRML to Web 3D
- The past shapes the present in Web 3D.
- Web 3D—Charting a Course
- Assessing current options for Web 3D.
- Shout is Out!
- Some impressive experiments with the new Web 3D package.
- Web 3D Gaming
- Inside a true Web 3D game built with Shout3D and Java.
- JavaScript-Powered Web 3D
- Shout3D and JavaScript make a powerful team.
- Interactivity in Shout 3D
- Shaping the user's experience in Web 3D.
- Introducing Shout 3D
- First look at the revolution in Web 3D.
- New Era in Web 3D
- Breakthroughs bring realtime 3D to Web pages.
- Notes From SIGGRAPH 99
- New products shine at annual 3D industry bash.
- A Challenging Model
- Building a NURBS violin teaches us strategy and instincts.
- 3D Studio MAX 3 Reviewed
- We assess the new MAX and its impact on the 3D world.
- MAX NURBS—Finishing the Piston
- We complete our series on MAX NURBS with a finished model.
- MAX NURBS—The Piston Project
- We try our hand at a complete NURBS model.
- Trimming MAX NURBS
- We take out our scissors and snip away at NURBS surfaces.
- Basic MAX NURBS Patches
- We look at the structure of simple NURBS surfaces.
- From MAX NURBS to Polygons
- We examine how NURBS surfaces become polygonal meshes for rendering.
- Basic MAX NURBS Surfaces
- We look at sweeping, lathing and lofting NURBS curves.
- Introducing MAX NURBS
- We begin a series on NURBS modeling in 3D Studio MAX.
- Puppet Master Plus
- We finish our character animation series with an advanced setup.
- Puppet Master
- We look at a radically different approach to character animation.
- Modeling and Animating
- We explore the relationship between modeling and animating a character figure.
- Movin' on Up
- We turn to forward kinematics to pose our character's arms.
- Stepping Nicely
- We put together what we've learned to get our character walking.
- Using Inverse Kinematics
- We learn about methods for creating a realistic stepping motion.
- Getting Started with Character Animation
- We start a series on character animation using Lightwave 3D.
- Surface Suite for Professional Texturing
- A look at today's high-end tool for texture mapping.
- More Texture Mapping
- We put our texture mapping concepts to work.
- Texture Mapping Basics
- We start a look at wrapping pictures around 3D models.
- Nendo -Curves Without Splines
- Brilliant tools coax subtle curvature out of polygons.
- Low-Polygon Modeling
- We build a human head for games or other real-time 3-D use.
- Nendo - Innovation in Modeling
- The new Nendo modeler is fun, fantastic and almost free.
- VRML - Platinum Speaks
- Tony Parisi talks about Platinum Technologies' plans for VRML.
- VRML - Back From the Brink
- Platinum Technologies buys Cosmo, takes charge.
- Picture Perfect
- Photorealistic smooth objects in Lightscape.
- More Radiosity Magic
- We add ray-traced refinements to radiosity.
- The Natural Magic of Radiosity
- Astounding realism with Lightscape.
- VRML - Embers in the Ashes
- Where does VRML go from here?
- VRML - Life After Cosmo?
- Thoughts about the crisis in VRML.
- Cutting Edge VRML
- "State of the Art" VRML from Shout Interactive.
- VRML for Web Advertising
- We look at some breakthrough "embedded" VRML for Web pages.
- Building in Cosmo Worlds
- We look at the "DynaControls" for VRML world assembly.
- Enter Cosmo Worlds
- The definitive VRML authoring package arrives on the PC.
- SOFTIMAGE—NURBS Blending
- We explore techniques for seamlessly welding NURBS objects together.
- SOFTIMAGE—Closing NURBS Surfaces
- We play with basic NURBS techniques to create closed surfaces and objects.
- SOFTIMAGE—Introducing NURBS Surfaces
- Using NURBS, we turn a rigid square into a fluid piece of cloth.
- SOFTIMAGE—From Splines to NURBS
- We learn how NURBS improve upon simpler curves for powerful modeling.
- SOFTIMAGE—Starting With Splines
- We begin a look at true spline modeling in this famous program.
- SOFTIMAGE—View From the Top
- We start an in-depth look at the Mount Everest of 3-D applications.
- 3D Hardware Update
- We talk to the hardware experts about crashing prices and poweful graphics cards.
- VRML 97—Using Authoring Tools
- We examine an inexpensive authoring program—Cosmo's Home Space Designer.
- VRML 97—Magical Mystery Tour
- Take a spin through a VRML world.
- VRML 97—Touch and Go!
- VRML worlds go interactive.
- VRML 97—On the Move
- VRML worlds slip into motion.
- VRML 97 Free Fall
- We leap into VRML space, learning the basics of the new specification.
- VRML 97—Now's The Time
- We start an in-depth look at this new version of interactive 3-D for the Web.
- Animation Tools—MAX vs. Lightwave
- Our two professional 3D heavyweights face off in animation tools.
- Lightwave Metanurbs
- It's Lightwave's turn to shine in our comparison of professional 3-D packages.
- 3D Studio MAX
- We jump right to the ambitious core of this major 3-D application.
- Comparing Professional Packages
- We start a side-by-side look at two major 3-D packages.
- Getting Started in 3-D
- Some advice and orientation for the serious 3-D beginner.
- The Art of Glass
- We finish our still-life with a clear glass beaker.
- Metal and Mirrors
- We play with reflection and ray tracing to create the feel of metal.
- Good Enough to Eat
- We create convincing surfaces for our photorealistic scene.
- Lights, Shadows and Feelings
- We explore the sense of environment to create persuasive 3-D scenes.
- Photorealism 101
- We begin an exploration of photorealism in 3D, using a still-life.
- Bevels and Details
- We finish our chest with a look at bevels and multiple surfaces.
- Onward and Upward
- We continue our modeling project, exploring perspective and orthogonal viewing.
- Modeling Like The Pros
- We start a realistic modeling project, using professional methods.
- More About Surfacing
- We look at the ways to get surface texture and "touchable" realism in 3-D objects.
- Getting Started With Surfacing
- We get oriented with the tools that bring color, realism and imagination to the surfaces of our 3-D objects.
- Today's 3-D Workstation
- We visit with 3-D hardware experts to learn about the affordable workstations that are bringing 3-D to a wide audience.
- Intersecting Spaces
- We learn how multiple "spaces" co-exist in a single scene, and about creating families of objects.
- Modeling, Modeling
- We explore the basics of modeling geometry from scratch, pulling flat objects out into the third dimension.
- Mind Candy
- Using deformation tools, we animate shapes and consider what it means to create an animation concept.
- Bringing It To Life
- We learn about keyframing and make a simple object dance and play.
- The Software Landscape
- Responding to numerous reader requests, we take a quick look over the world of 3-D animation packages.
- Lights, Camera, Render!
- 3-D graphics means not only creating objects in space, but also coating them with exciting, realistic surfaces that interact with light.
- Get Primitive
- We start modeling using only the simple geometric objects that our applications give us, and good things happen right away.
- Let There Be Light
- We add a simple light to create shading and shadows, and surprisingly enough, smooth curving surfaces as well.
- Building an Object
- Using points, we create surfaces, and therefore our first simple object.
- Through the Looking Glass
- A tutorial on 3D Space that takes a visual approach. Learn how 3D graphic artists break out of their 2D existence and work, and think, in another dimension.
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