3DS Max Tutorial. Learn The Art of Modelling and Animation

Follow a step-by-step workflow from concept and storyboard to modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, and rendering to bring 3D projects to life.

Build a solid foundation in traditional art concepts and principles to improve 3D animation, emphasizing center of interest, design, composition, color, balance, and camera angles.

Use reference material to achieve realistic 3D modelling and animation. Study real-world objects, photographs, lighting, and textures to guide modeling, materials, and motion for believability.

Navigate 3d space using multiple viewports to see depth from all angles. Use the transformation gizmo, colored red, green, and blue, to move and scale along x y z.

Learn to lighten 3D production in Max by optimizing geometry with fewer segments, managing RAM and processor limits, and using wireframe and shaded views to speed renders.

Discover the 3ds Max built-in help system, with contents, index, and search. Access essential skills, how-to movies, and the learning path via Autodesk Web site and YouTube.

Navigate the 3ds max 2013 interface using the four viewports and main controls—application button, quick access toolbar, menus, and command panel—with the time line and time slider for animation.

Navigate the four viewports in 3ds Max by mastering active window selection, view directions (front, top, left, perspective), and controls for zoom, pan, orbit, and layout tabs.

Learn to set up measurements in 3ds Max by selecting unit systems, including generic, US standard feet and inches, metric, and custom options, with a 30 by 40 foot slab.

Master how to customize the 3ds Max user interface to fit your workflow by setting keyboard shortcuts, adjusting colors, layouts, and hidden tool sets, and by configuring external file paths.

Learn how the right mouse button cancels commands and exits operations in 3ds Max, then use right-click to transform, move, rotate, scale, extrude, and access editable states and view settings.

Start a new project in 3ds max by using reset to clear all defaults, or use new to preserve selected layouts, objects, and optionally animation.

Learn how to open and import files into 3ds Max, merge objects from separate scenes, and manage position, scale, and naming conflicts when combining assets from different programs.

Learn saving and exporting in 3ds Max using save, save as, incremental save, save selected, and archive. Export to formats like 3D Studio and Autocad compatible files.

Discover how hold and fetch in 3ds max capture a snapshot of your scene, let you revert to that state with fetch, and bypass undo limits to safeguard modeling experiments.

Open the summary info page to view a complete breakdown of your scene, including objects, lights, cameras, mesh with vertices and faces, memory usage, and render times.

Master 3ds Max selection techniques, including windowing, crossing, and paint selection, use selection sets and filters to pick geometry, lights, and cameras while managing selection lock and selecting by name.

Learn practical object naming in 3ds Max by giving logical labels, renaming via object properties, and using a base name with numbering to handle multiple parts like table components.

Learn how to use the 3-D max transformation gizmo to move, rotate, or scale along the red, green, and blue axes, with activation cues and plus/minus resize controls.

Move objects in 3ds max using the move command and gizmo across top, perspective, and front views, mastering single- and two-axis moves with red, green, and blue sticks, plus snap.

Master rotating objects in 3d with the rotate command and gizmo rings (blue, green, red), using angle snap for precise pivots across front, top, left, and perspective views.

Learn how to scale objects in 3ds Max using the scale gizmo, scaling in one, two, or three directions, with snap settings and precise values.

Master world and local coordinate systems in 3ds Max, using gizmo alignment to transform objects and even pick another object as a reference for accurate movement.

Learn to locate and move a 3d object's pivot point with the transformation gizmo to rotate and scale from the pivot. Use center, reset, and working pivots for subobject editing.

Learn to manage clutter in complex 3ds Max scenes by hiding by category or name, and freezing objects to keep them visible but uneditable, with unhide and unfreeze options.

Explore 3ds max cloning methods, including copy, instance, and reference, and see how transforms propagate; use make unique to break links and leverage instancing for synchronized changes.

Learn how to group objects in 3ds max to manipulate multiple items as one while keeping individual edit access, with open and close, attach, and ungroup workflows.

Learn to create standard 3d primitives—box, sphere, cylinder—and customize dimensions, segments, hemisphere and slices, then center and align objects using top, front, and side views.

Create standard 3d primitives in 3ds Max, including Taurus, cone, sphere, geo sphere, tube, pyramid, and plane, and tune radius, height, segments, and sides to shape geometry.

Explore extended primitives in 3ds Max, including chamfer box, chamfer cylinder, capsule, spindle, and ring wave, and learn how to modify radius, height, fill, and segments for varied modeling outcomes.

Learn to draw lines in 3ds Max, turning 2D shapes into 3D forms by placing vertices, adjusting curvature with mouse drags, and using open or closed lines with render options.

Explore two-dimensional shapes in 3ds Max and learn to create and modify rectangles, circles, ellipses, arcs, donuts, polygons with configurable sides, stars, text, helix, and egg shapes.

Learn to nest two or more 2d shapes by placing one inside the other to create holes or negative space, then convert to 3d to reveal the opening.

Explore 3ds Max architectural object creation, covering walls, doors, windows, and stairs, set accurate feet and fractional inches, and edit with subobjects, insertion points, and connections.

Add foliage to architectural scenes in 3ds Max by selecting foliage types and adjusting height, density, pruning, and seed values. Use the material editor to color leaves.

Learn how 3ds Max uses the construction grid and an activated custom grid or auto grid to create objects in relation to surfaces, including on top of other objects.

Learn to model a pencil by combining primitive shapes, cylinders, torus rings, and a chamfer cylinder, aligning with the left viewport and grid for accuracy.

Master extruding flat shapes in 3ds Max, adjusting thickness with the extrude modifier and following rules for closed, non-overlapping profiles to build varied three-dimensional forms.

Learn to use the lathe tool in 3ds Max to create symmetrical objects by spinning a half-profile 360 degrees, with guidance on line placement and spin direction.

Learn lofting in 3ds max, a curved extrusion that pushes a shape along a path, using a helix path and nested shapes, with twist and scale deformations along the journey.

Explore boolean and pro boolean commands in 3ds Max to fuse two overlapping objects through subtraction, intersection, and union, with practical steps using two example objects.

Master box modeling by converting a primitive into editable poly subobjects, apply extrude and bevel, adjust segments and polygons, and refine via viewport navigation and poly selection options.

Learn advanced box modeling in 3ds Max by applying bevels, extrusions, chamfers, insets, and welds, using subobject modes (vertices, edges, polygons) and pivot controls to shape a box.

Model a telescope and pedestal from a cylinder using box modeling in 3ds Max. Apply slice plane, extrude, inset, and bevel to form four smaller cylindrical sections and the lens.

Create a telescope pedestal in 3ds Max using box modeling, starting from a tube primitive, centering it in the mount, beveling, extruding, and capping to form a solid stand.

Master interactive sculpting with the paint deformation tool in Max on an editable poly, adjusting brush size and push-pull strength to sculpt features like eyebrows, nose, and mouth.

Explore surface normals in 3ds Max, learn how normals affect visibility in renders, and use flip, unify, two-sided materials, or shell to fix inside-out geometry.

Model a bowling pin and ball in 3ds Max using a reference image, apply the lathe modifier, refine vertices, and bore finger holes with boolean subtraction to complete the objects.

Create the bowling alley scene in 3ds Max by modeling the alley and two gutters, using arcs, editable splines and extrude to shape the gutter details.

Create the floor and back wall for a bowling alley in 3ds Max by modeling a centered floor with gutters, cutting a hole, and adding a back wall box.

Create the bowling alley backboard in 3ds Max by modeling the outer rectangle, cutting out the inner shape with a boolean subtraction, and extruding the result to 250.

Create a scoreboard in 3ds Max by modeling a chamfer cylinder, aligning it to a blackboard, and applying red Arial bold text with a centered pivot.

Create a ball return for a bowling alley in 3ds Max using an editable spline, extrude, chamfer, and boolean subtraction, then position and save the completed bowling alley model.

Distinguish 2d shapes from 3d objects in 3ds max and learn subobject components: vertices, segments and splines for 2d, and edges, faces, and polygons for 3d, to reshape models effectively.

Enter subobject mode in 3ds Max and select subobject components, using vertex, segment, and spline for 2d shapes, and vertex, edge, and face for 3d meshes.

Compare using a modifier or converting to editable spline to reach subobject levels in 2D and 3D shapes in 3ds Max, weighing loss of original parameters.

Master moving, rotating, and scaling at the subobject level for 2d shapes and 3d models in 3ds max, using vertices, edges, and polygons with gizmos and handles.

Master 2d subobject modeling commands in 3ds Max, including adding vertices, refining, inserting, chamfering, filling, connecting, welding, detaching, and applying boolean operations on splines.

Explore 3ds Max subobject modeling from converting to editable poly to using extrude, chamfer, weld, edge, border, cap, bridge, and cut techniques for game-ready geometry.

Explore 3ds Max sub-object modeling by tessellating polygons, then extruding, beveling, inset, and smoothing with subdivision surfaces, using grow/shrink selections and the Graphite Modeling Ribbon.

Discover how ignore back facing helps you select only front polygons during subobject editing in 3ds Max, using circular selections, top and front views, and precise moves to shape geometry.

Learn how soft selection in 3ds Max applies influence to nearby subobjects, letting you move, rotate, or scale vertices with falloff and weight controls for natural modeling.

Master the 3ds Max modifier stack by learning what a modifier is, how to add and edit multiple modifiers, and how the stack controls object shape and movement in scenes.

Master the modifier stack in 3ds Max to apply and edit modifiers like taper and bend. Rename, remove, or disable modifiers, and use gizmos to see the result.

Master the modifier order in the stack and how bottom-to-top calculations shape the object. Reorder with drag-and-drop and compare stretch before bend to bend before stretch for different results.

Place modifiers in the middle of the 3ds max stack to customize 2d text into 3d with extrude, bevel, and spline attachments; explore sub-object editing and switching stack levels.

Collapse the stack to reduce max's calculations by converting modifiers to an editable form, which lightens the load on RAM and viewport, but potentially losing original parameters, modifiers, and animation.

Copy and paste modifiers between teapots in 3ds Max, using copy, instance, or drag-and-drop; manage links with make unique and adjust the gizmo size for consistent results.

Explore freeform deformation modifiers in 3ds Max, manipulating a lattice cage to reshape underlying geometry. Learn to adjust control points, animate cage motion with autokey, and reset or conform shapes.

Explore how the 3ds max flex modifier adds realistic bending and sway to objects by adjusting flex, strength, sway, and pivot center.

Apply the hair and fur modifier in 3ds Max to a model, restrict hair to a top-half selection, adjust strand count and color, and refine aging and frizz with presets.

Discover how the noise modifier reshapes surfaces with x, y, and z strength, adds fractal detail, and animates noise to create weathered textures, moving water, and landscapes.

Demonstrates reducing geometry with Pro optimizer to lower vertex counts while preserving shape for games. Then compare adding detail with TurboSmooth and MeshSmooth using iterations and render settings.

Learn to apply modifiers at the subobject level in 3ds Max by converting to editable poly, selecting polygons, and stacking taper, stretch, and mesh select modifiers, with noise animation.