gmax Bible

If gmax can do it, you can do it too . . .

If you delight in mod-building, want to tweak your favorite games for ongoing challenges, or dream of a career in game-making, this book and gmax are your dream team. gmax provides a "lite" version of the tools found in the high-priced 3ds max suite, and this comprehensive guide teaches you how to use all their cool tricks. You'll soon become adept at building characters, terrain, basic animation, textures, and light sources, and exporting them directly to supported game formats.

Inside, you'll find complete coverage of gmax

• Discover the gmax interface and learn how to transform, group, and link objects
• Build custom game content with modeling methods including splines, shapes, meshes, patches, and compound objects
• Learn to change an object's look with modifiers
• Create and animate characters using Bones, Inverse Kinematics, and Skin
• Use the Material Editor to apply materials and texture maps to objects
• Learn the basics of animating with keyframes and achieve complex animations with controllers
• Explore the gmax game packs and create custom content for Dungeon Siege, Flight Simulator, Quake III Arena, and Trainz

• Freeware copy of gmax
• The Ultimate Trainz Collection Demo and Combat Flight Simulator 3 Demo, plus other game demos and game packs
• Game content created with gmax by other users
• A collection of 3D models
• All examples and content from the book

Contents

• gmax-The Possibilities
• Using the In-Your-Face Interface
• Making a Custom Face, er, Interface
• Getting Files In and Out of gmax
• Choosing Your Poison-Selecting Objects
• Cloning, Grouping, and Linking Objects, and Other -ings
• Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects-Return of the -ings
• Placing gmax on Autopilot with MAXScript

• Beginning with the Basic Building Blocks
• Starting with Simple Splines and Shapes
• Moving On with Marvelous Meshes
• Performing with Perfect Patches
• Continuing with Crazy Compound Objects

• Controlled Destruction with Modifiers
• Skeletons Rule: Building with Bones and IK
• Putting on the Ritz with the gmax Material Editor

• Creating Ambiance and Mood with Lights
• If You Could See What I See-Controlling Cameras
• Getting the Prop to Spin-Animation Basics
• Graphing Animations with the Track View
• Whoa, Betty! Constraining Motion
• Creating Automatic Actions with Controllers

• Making Worlds with Tempest for Quake III Arena
• Creating Custom Content for Flight Simulator 2002
• Creating Adventures with Dungeon Siege
• Creating New Scenery for Trainz