Review: 3ds Max Modeling for Games: Insider’s Guide to Game Character, Vehicle, and Environment Modeling: Volume I by Andrew Gahan

If you’re working with 3ds Max, or even similar packages, I think this book holds some insight. I’ve tried a few different modeling packages, but somehow Max just seemed to click better for me. Maybe it’s because it was the first one I started learning with, or maybe it’s popular for a reason. Not sure, but I think it’s a very capable product (especially for game development). 3ds Max Modeling for Games shows you how to do some basic (and not so basic) modeling tasks in the app. I found the instruction to be detailed and clear, though at times it can be very specific to the package.

So what does Andrew Gahan show you here? Well, he goes through some basics of working with the 3ds Max interface, terminology for game art, and texturing. Then he shows how to create, unwrap, and texture a simple model. Creating a more complex model (sort of a floor sweeper thing), vegetation and alpha maps, a low-poly vehicle, normal mapping techniques, an entire 3D environment, and finally a high and low poly character. Quite a good assortment of chapters and each one was fully fleshed out.

I did appreciate that the author goes through each step, even simple stuff other books may gloss over. In some cases, as I started reading I was questioning the method he was using, but eventually he made it work. While the text is very focused on the one specific application, I do think that artists (or aspiring artists) could glean knowledge from the techniques and apply them to other packages. However, this would not be the first book I went to if I was using Maya or whatever.

Overall I feel like I learned a couple neat tricks, and after reading the book I feel a little more confident in my modeling skills. Will really need to put this to the test soon, as I’ve been dying to create some nice art to work with building graphic demos and whatnot. Looking at programmer art all day is just not as motivating. I have plans of creating a realistic-style apartment, and I think it’s something reasonable to get finished. Down the road, I’d love to do a full character, but I’ve always struggled with this in the past. At least now that I’ve switched to Unreal, I can free up some of my effort to focus on art since I know the engine will support whatever I throw in there (and make it look good!). Looking forward to checking the Volume II in the series shortly.