3Ds MAX X Killer Tips

A collection of several hundred short tips accompanied by color screenshots that resolve specific production problems, point out little known features of the program, and give users a leg up on how to use new features in 3ds max 6. User interface customization, modeling tools, the materials editor, lighting, animation, rendering, special effects, and MAXScript are covered. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Jon A. Bell is a writer and 3D computer graphics artist. After working 10 years as an editor and writer in the computer magazine industry, Jon changed careers in 1991 to concentrate on the computer graphics industry, and has produced CGI for television, films, computer games, multimedia, and print. He provided animation for the films "Exorcist III: Legion," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," "Soldier" and "Mighty Joe Young." His video and film work includes Autodesk¿s/Kinetix's 1991, 1994 and 1997 SIGGRAPH reels, their 1993 and 1996 NAB reels, and work for Digital Phenomena and Matte World Digital. His multimedia and game industry work includes architectural models and animation for Oracle, LucasArts Entertainment, Sega of America, and Gametek. He wrote three "3D Studio MAX f/x and design" books for Ventana/Coriolis Press (1996-1999), covering the first 3 releases of 3ds max, and provided 3D artwork for the book "Tripping," Charles Hayes, published October 2000 by Penguin USA. His most recent book was "3ds max 6 Killer Tips," released in February 2004 by New Riders Publishing. His latest full-time job was as 3rd-Party Developer Relations Manager for Discreet, the multimedia division of Autodesk (December 2000--January 2003.)

Currently, Jon provides computer graphics work for the History Channel series, ¿Tactical to Practical.¿ He also provides 3D graphics and technical writing for Hawkes Ocean Technologies, Pt. Richmond, CA (www.deepflight.com), the builders of the experimental minisubs Deep Flight I and the Deep Flight 502 Aviator. Jon¿s hobbies include 3D computer graphics, scuba diving, travel to exotic places, reading, drawing, and writing fiction and essays. After almost 17 years in the San Francisco Bay area, Jon and his wife Joan moved to the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona in May 2003, and they are the parents of the world¿s most spoiled cat, Greystone.