3D Books

I admit that I am not the worlds best in 3DS Max. I have tried NUMEROUS books and found little use, some assumed you were an overall expert or a total [beginner].

This book, by far, teaches in high detail step-for-step on how to surpass the learning curve and get into a comfort zone using 3D Studio Max.

NEVER have I read a book that takes you from the beginner level to the semi-advanced level with so much detail and explanation. The author, Michele Bousquet, seems to have much experience in teaching this software because I was able to follow the tutorials and feel confident in doing so. I hope she writes another book for 3DS Max 4.

Unlike my multimedia professors, this book teaches clearly, in a way that I, the student, can absorb and retain the information!

Never having taken any 3D classes, first, I gathered a heavy stack of 3D Max 3 books at the bookstore and plopped down on the floor. I took my time browsing through the first chapter of each book to get an idea of what would happen once home when I crack the tutorials open and test drive them. Would they be difficult or easy to follow?

Harnessing wasn't the prettiest book, but it's what's on the inside that counts. I decided to spend my money on Harnessing for a few key reasons.

The information before the first tutorial focussed on practicality - jobs in the field. That's what I'm talkin''bout! I don't want to just do this for hobby, but as a student, target my specific area of interest to enter this field to profit.

The other deciding factor was the simplistic tutorial approach. Each sentence of instructions tells you where to look for the tool PLUS gives an illustrated icon of the tool you're looking for! A beginner like me can NOT go wrong.

The author seems to understand that 3D Max newbies will be anxious to jump in, so the first tutorial allows us to get that out of our systems by doing some basics. Then the tutorials begin to build, and you begin to learn. But the learning isn't so wordy you're looking for the "Next Tutorial - 2 Miles Ahead" sign. It's a nice balance of technical insight and hands-on.

I haven't even opened the accomanying CD, yet I am sold on this book. It's harder to put down than a best-selling novel! But I have to put it down because I have homework.

If you can't tell, I highly reccomend this book!

Being a first time user of 3D Studio I have found this book invaluable in getting started. The book itself is well laid out starting with the basics and evolving slowly into more complex applications of 3D Studio.

I highly recommend this book to people who are just starting out with 3D Studio as it is easy to read (no big complex explanations), easy to follow step-by-step directions and comes with a comprehensive add-on CD.

A definite must read if you want to learn 3D Studio

As a new user to 3d Studio Max, I had previously purchased 3d Studio Max Workshop and made it half way through the book but lost interest since I found the workshop model that you follow through the entire book to be completely uninspiring for me despite the positive reviews of that book. After a few days of not wanting to open Max on my pc and feeling pretty defeated, I borrowed Harnessing 3d Studio Max 3 from a friend and now don't want to return it. The book must be read from the beginning to the end since the tutorials build from previous chapters. I savored every word and found there was a tutorial every 2-3 pages. I loved the book and now after 800 pages feel like I can move around Max with some confidence and am better able to look for more advanced books that will focus on specifically what I want to accomplish with Max. The book is written as though it's a course book for teaching Max to students. The book's forward says there is a companion workbook you can order through AutoDesk Press that expands on the chapter tutorials. I would definitely would like that. It is definitely a beginners book but if you have been frustrated with Max and are willing to spend some time with a 800 page book I would definitely recommend this book!

If you are all but a total novice and have been even superficially introduced to 3DMAX ( no matter which relase ) this book is not for you. It is obvious even at the first glimpse at the book that it's not going to bring on any novelty to the non-beginner ... And the inadequacy of its description ( both on the back cover and online ) is just a scandal. As an advanced user I was attracted by the internet reviews but I have to say that after having read the book I found it of a really poor quality and the only part that was new to me was just a couple of pages on f/x. I would never recommend this book to anyone including the beginners for whom I'd find better books to start with. DON'T BUY IT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY MISTAKE !!!

We have a new blog setup for support on the book and to provide updated tips and tricks and extras when time permits.

[...]

We are grateful for all the positive feedback as well as the error catches, I have found our book in many studios over the last few years and it is always a nice surprise.

Stop by the blog and check out the new tips and or comment /email etc. as always we are happy to hear feedback or field questions on the book content.

Brad Clark

This is definitely not a book for beginners. My biggest issue with the book is that it gives you a bunch of step by step instructions without explaining why you're doing what you're doing. The books gives complex rigging examples without giving the main concepts behind them. The instructions are often times unclear and the pictures, which would probably explain things better than the text, are too small to be of any use. I guess since the title specifically says it's "advanced rigging" I shouldn't complain, but it seems like the only people who can follow this book are people who already know how to do this stuff.

I got this book specifically to assist in shoulder/arm rigging difficulties i've had with an animation that needed to be anatomically correct, and i wasn't disappointed. The book quickly asserts the scope of the problem, and makes it clear that a good solution requires a careful study of the model geometry, and supplies you with a realistic and powerful idea for a setup. It doesn't provide you with an ultimate solution, but rather suggests very helpfully approaches to specific problems, often supplying MEL scripts to assist, as well as downloadable example files demonstrating theory in practise.

The writing style is fluid and doesn't take you for a fool, and the included interviews with veteran TD's are all interesting. I wish there were more details on weighting and weighting practises aside from a suggestion to weight "backwards" (reducing weight from 1 instead of increasing from 0). In addition, the book attempts to include 3ds MAX in its teaching process, but largely fails, putting 90% emphasis on Maya (good for me!)

I'll recommend it to any novice/intermediate TD. I'd also recommend it to anyone wanting a better understanding of how a rig works, perhaps a modeller seeking to understand how to mend his geometry to best suit rigging.

I will second doodler's review; the content is in there somewhere, but the presentation is horrible. Pictures are unable to convey any information whatsoever do to their tiny size. Adding to the difficulty in following the instruction are the seemingly endless typos on node names, such as a dropped suffix or a dropped prefix. Whole steps seem to left out of other areas and the errata from the Course Tech website seems to contain only a fraction of the mistakes. This makes actually learning anything in a reasonable amount of time utterly impossible since you will spend most of your time trying to decipher what is a typo and what is not.

The main rigging tutorial in this book is very poorly written. What should be a great learning experience becomes a lesson in silly extra long naming pratices that will obscure all the intellegence of the actual rigging process.....the physical size of the book limits the pictures to a decorative effect. No real information is passed by the pictures and they are not included in any of the download data available. The main structure of his rig gets lost in a series of asides and remarks that make following the authors rigging tutorial into a joke. Bearly 3 steps can be included before a page change. This makes checking your work very hard and tedious. The real content just gets lost as every description includes a joint name that borders on 5 prefixes followed by 5 suffixs. By the time you select the right joint you have lost the process he is trying to teach you. So the first 170 odd pages are an exercise in translating his verbose descriptions into something logical. The content is there, it is just poorly presented.


Luckily, there is more then just the one author on this one!

Nice tips and tricks for someone that dosen't want to go that deep into Photoshop but still be able to produce decent textures for 3D. Being the only book on the subject I have to say it's the best =), but if you are seriuos about Photoshop as a 3D artist (which you should) you'll be better off getting one of those "in depth" Photoshop books. Like that you should be able to figure out what this book has to say by yourself.

I found this book quite educative, and it is a great introduction for newcomers. These are the pros and cons as I see it:

pros: Easy to follow step by step tutorials. Lots of hints and tips. Each chapter has a background and theory section. Great intro on the different mapping techniques, especially why you always should use diffusion. cons: Some of the photoshop files were missing on the CD. The whole book should be in colour. Having the "colour studio" in the middle of the book results in turning pages back and forth. Some of the actions in the 3D application isn't explained. For example how to save a selection in the 3D app, and how to texturize the selection only.

I don't go anywhere without my Photoshop 5 3D Textures F/X and Design Book. Great Techniques, Well written, and well planned out.

I am a Photoshop user who thought this book would be good for use solely within Photoshop, the truth is that this book is for use in conjunction with a 3D program - if you don't own such a program, then think twice before ordering this title. I am in the process of learning Strata Studio Pro, so eventually I will be able to put this book to some good use. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that the ad./title for this book can be a little misleading, it should read: Photoshop 5 3D Textures f/x and design FOR USE WITH A 3D PROGRAM. Having said that, the book is well written, and I learned much from it. The tutorials are easy to follow, the results of which I will only be able to fully appreciate when I have finished learning my 3D program. The book covers creating the different texture maps within Photoshop to be used on your 3D models. Do not hesitate to purchase this book if you own both Photoshop and a 3D program.

First of all, I baught the book because it says "Photoshop 5 3D" I forgot to look at the "texture" part. Whatever.

1. This book is not Fully Colored Like the punk said. There are 15 pages (color - including both sides) that is 15 out of 274)

2. This books doesn't give much. It talks about what you should do and where to get it. It doesn't actually go into how it is actually done on Adobe 5.0 (which I hoped this will do/show)

3. It talks/there is a design about a space-ship. I don't care about the damn history! I don't care who invented and what year that space ship is in, and what it carried. Stop talking about craX and start showing how to do it.

4. I also noticed something/read something. I was very disapointed and pissed... So it says the book. Once you are done with this layer dump it in a 3D program. I am on the toilet and I am like what! Wait a second! This book I baught it to learn how to use Adobe and do everything in it! Don't tell me I've got to get me an additional 3D program! i.e. 3D Max, SoftImage, LightWave, Bryce stuff.. That was a big piXs off!

5. Lots about Wire-Frame/Layers... I didn't know Adobe Did that.. I thought 3d Progs did that...

6. Last but not least.. I'm pretty new to Adobe but I did most/all the stuff "trial and error" I learned a bit I think. I use Fireworks (by Macromedia) to do most of the stuff and what Fireworks can't do I do it in Adobe.

-=] I baught another book called Official Adobe Photoshop 5.0 Studio Techniques; Ben Willmore, so as soon as it arrives (3-7 days) this other book is going back... ]=-

I REALLY REALLY! would like to get the Adobe 5.0 WOW! Book! But from what I've herd is that they are over 5 months delayed in releasing it. That suc@k@s

So I am dissapointed buying it and man.. I hate going through the process of returning it.

This is a spectacular book, chock-full of common sense health tips, (some of them quite surprising -- but all easy to follow!). Like Jean Carper's other books, it is also easy-to-read and understand. It's a real treasure-house of good, life-lengthening advice!

The ONLY thing I don't like about this book is....THE PAPER IT IS PRINTED ON! In my opinion, NONE of Jean Carper's books are printed on good enough paper, even in the hard-cover editions....which is a great, lasting pity...because everything she writes is so good -- and so good for you! However, the paper used in "STOP AGING NOW" -- especially that used in the paperback edition -- is almost a crime! It is SO bad! It is SO cheap! It is so OBVIOUSLY going to age far, far, faster than any of the readers of this excellent book!

Please, publishers -- Jean Carper's writings deserve the BEST and most LASTING, non-acidic paper! She is a treasure, and so are her books! Both of them should last for as long as possible!

I love this book so much. It's full of information the average person can easily put to use every day. It's written in a way that's straight-forward and easy to understand. You can just zip right through it without falling asleep. Let's face it, nobody is reading this book for the entertainment value. Jean Carper's style is right on the mark, just give the information is a simple way, never long-winded. There is something in here for everyone. Even a couch potato could read this book, basically stay a couch potato, but still get something out of this book is they follow some of the advice in here. There are no gimmicks in here, just practical information you can put to good use every day.

In STOP AGING NOW, Jean Carper uses the free radical theory to optimize health. Most of her book theorizes that taking supplements like vitamins E, B, and C, with minerals like zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, mixed with other potent antioxidants like CoQ10 will combine synergistically to reduce--but not stop--the aging process. Carper is quite right as far as she goes, but she wrote this book in 1995, and there have been considerable advances in life advancement that were either unknown or simply untested then. I cannot fault her for her lack of prescience in not knowing about other and far more potent supplements to postpone aging: DHEA, Acetyl L-Carnitine, pregnenolone, carnosine, resveratrol, lycopene, alpha lipoic acid, grapeseed extract, N-Acetyl-Cysteine, green tea extract, and curcumin to name a few. My primary objection to Carper is her passive methodolgy. If you take a dozen or so pills, you will benefit. What she leaves out is what must have been apparent even as she was writing STOP AGING NOW, namely the impact that a toxic-filled world has on human beings. Nowhere does she address the existence of toxins, and unless one acknowledges that toxins in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the chemicals with which we surround ourselves, then the overall benefit of her pill methodology is greatly reduced. There are numerous texts that address this concern. One might look at Kevin Trudeau's NATURAL CURES for a sampler. Still, for a first text on anti-aging, STOP AGING NOW is a good place to begin even if the title is seen as mostly hype and blurb.

Jean Carper writes with an enthusiasm and verve that I admire, and she has the zeal of a missionary. But there is no scientific evidence that we currently can stop the aging process in humans. Researchers have slowed aging in laboratory rats and mice by putting them on a near-starvation diet, and they have extended life spectacularly in worms (as much as five-fold) by manipulating certain longevity genes. But we do not have evidence that the vitamins, minerals, or herbs cited in the book can stop human aging. Researchers around the world are working on aging, and I have no doubt that they will be able to stop human aging, possibly by developing a drug that affects longevity genes in humans. If you can maneuver around the claims for stopping aging, there is much, useful information in this book on good nutrition from fruits, vegetables, proper fats, and a healthy lifestyle. These will help you live longer. Live long enough, and scientists will find a way to stop you from aging.

Jean Carper has done a wonderful job of relating what the medical profession and researh have proven to be that elusive prescription to the fountain of youth. I quite agree with the 9th reviewer here on Amazon.com has written in her review.

I have been on such prescription for about 20 years now so I am giving testimony to Carper's prescription. Everybody on the planet earth should read and implement the directions in this book because we should learn to live up to our fullest potential and staying healthy is necessary to do that. We have lost, prematurely, many of our great brains because they abused their bodies with bad food, booze, and poor mental and physical health.

...

I've only had this book for a week, and it's well on it'sway to becoming the most referenced book on my shelf. Excellent readand, if you're prepared to do a little work, outstanding tutorials.The facial animation section alone has given me several 'eureka'moments, which is what books like this are supposed toelicit.

Simply wonderful.

After reading positive reviews of this book from Amazon.com, I bought it with high hopes... This book could be worth reading if there would not be so many errors everywhere! I can't believe how many typos & missing steps & steps told in wrong order there is in this book! Buy some other more professional book.

This book is detailed. It will talk you through a lot of the different techniques you can use to animate, but it's examples are terrible. I am not a professional animator, but even I could do better example material than this. The animation of a slug/worm type thing is terrible, both in terms of it's main movement and its secondary motion. The walk cycles are abysmal with no obvious signs of reference material being used. The Lion animation is laughable. The environment animations look extremely amateur. This book is NOT for professional animators. At best it is a fair resource for finding different techniques to animate. Why they'd release this book for any reason other than to make money is beyond me. It certainly doesn't show MAX up as being a good animation tool.

I bought other CG books before and usually got something out of it. But this is my first one that instantly helped me with my problems. Within the first 2 hours of reading I got more hints to traps and good advices than I got from reading whole books and doing dozens of tutorials before. I really recommend this book for all who want to improve their animation skills with 3D Studio MAX.

I want to express my gratitude toward the authors of 3dStudio Max Professional Animation. This is the first book I have found that truly enhanced my skills and knowledge--not only of 3d Studio Max, but of 3d animation in general. As a teacher of 3d animation, I am always looking for information that gives me the skills to answer any questions my students can throw at me. While I haven't really noticed any errors or typos in particular, I find that because the book is not simply a list of steps to follow, and because it explains in detail WHY the steps are to be taken, this helps to clear up any misunderstanding of the steps themselves. These lengthy explanations are packed with helpful information and are essential for understanding the material. This is not a book for those who like to blindly follow tutorials. Finally, I must say that I trust the information in the book. This is not only because of the authors' qualifications and experience, but because my own work has improved significantly. Once again, this book is an invaluable addition to any professional animator's library.

Some good tutorials, some really bad. Just like the first book its not written by designers but more by those techie guys who do beta testing :) But I got something out of it anyway.

This book concentrates on about 10 different features of 3ds Max and does a step-by-step explanation of them. The value in this approach was that it guides you through an unknown area of max very methodically. On the down side, the extra verbiage might be unappealing for someone that's more fluent with the program. As a student using the program for the first time, it allowed me to very quickly expand my capabilities. This should be a companion to another more comprehensive book. Includes final movies of the projects covered so you can compair your work.

I recently purchased this box and have been extremely disappointed. The projects are extremely interesting and detailed, if you can complete them. Out of the 6 projects I have tried, I have not been able to complete any of the them. Problems range from not getting the correct colors and textures to appear after following the steps listed to "intuitive" steps that are not listed that I evidently don't know. There is "help" available from the book's authors, if you can get a response, and they don't always know what is wrong. Overall, I have not found this to be a helpful book.

If you are an intermediate level Max user, 3ds max 4 Magic, is a great resource. With concise and to the point directions, full color illustrations and tutorials that cover a wide range of Max's capabilities, this book can guide you to the next level. This book is not for a beginner. The authors assume that the reader is familiar with all of the tool sets available, at least to the extent of knowing where to look. Although the time that I have invested in this book's tutorials has been technically demanding the wow factor has made it well worthwhile.

3ds max 4 magic is full-colour, glossy and packed with 13 projects covering a variety of common tasks, individually written by professional 3D artists. There are detailed chapters on for example simulating flowing water (without expensive plugins), creating realistic underwater scenes, using the new max 4 IK, churning out textures for games, and even a bit of camera matching. And as usual, they are detailed enough to be usefull but advanced enough not to be patronising and time-wasting for the experienced reader, for whom the book is intended.

The small critisism I may have centers around the lighting effects in certain chapters. They seem somewhat basic, explaining much to very little effect. In general though, the tutorials do expand on many of max 4's new features - and the accompanying CD features bonus materials and projects from those authors that got a little carried away. Good stuff!

Don't get this hoping to learn high quality character animation, but if you want to learn quick animation where time & budget is first concern then this good book. Contrary to what some have said its not all about 3rd party apps. He does cover modeling, Expresso scripting & dynamics - I believe Expresso comes with the basic CD4 and dynamics comes with the complete CD4. Even though the book is far from complete he does cover subjects no one else has the nerve to touch.

This was book was extremely helpful and easy to follow. It was used in class to help my students and they found the animation and dynamics information invaluable. I'm always impressed when someone can successfully communicate difficult technical information.

The book really should be called "how to cheat with animating C4d by buying lots of expensive addons". The tutorials are interesting, but what is missing is basic animating in C4D with the tools already available. For example, there is no section on animating facial expressions. That is so much used in games and movies that it's omission is curious. Many of the human animations are done with using the BodyStudio plugin to import animations done in Poser. Poser's animation tools are moderately good for things like walking, but lack the sophistication of tools available in C4D. If you like premade animations, his technique is good. There is no mention of the InterPoser plugin which is a stronger way of importing Poser objects in C4D.

Also missing is any section of web based animation: rotating 3D objects in response to user input. But there is a section on modeling with IModeller 3D that really doesn't have anything to do with animation.

This book would be useful to someone who already knows how to animate in C4D but wishes to understand various addins that are useful in importing Poser animations, making games, adding keyed video (like the section on Ultra), etc. So it really a book on how to cheat in C4D and save time by buying other programs.

After working with Maya for about 3yrs now I would say this book has opened up another way for me to look at animation. It should be about the creative side to get fantastic results not about computer programming (MEL). C4D helps you get great results in no time and my man Larry has demonstrated that very nicely. Maya is so completed and confusing that you really have to be way experience to get a good enough results. I would highly recommend this book to any beginner who is wants to Learn 3D animation (so those people like me out there get, grab this book and make your first big step into the animation world). Larry Mitchell awesome book, no doubt about it, experience users of Cinema 4D you just have to wait for next book perhaps!!

This book has provided me with a hands on guid that I have search for many years. I am new to animation, and I think Mr. Mitchell did a fantastic job of explaining and making his real world application easy to follow. This book has taught me more about professional animation than any other books in my library. To me the CD is an added bonus. I would highly recommend this book to any beginner who is trying Learn 3D animation production. The only negative thing I have to say is, why it took you so long to publish a book that gave someone like me the confidence in learning 3D animation. I was able to create my first animated characters by using this book, by adding this book to your library, you will be gaining a wealth of knowledge. By the way, when is your next book coming out? Simply, this book is GREAT.

While I am a 3D Studio user and own several 3D Studio books, this general-approach book is what I return to time and again to regain my perspective and sense of purpose. While it does not cater to any specific 3D package, it does a better job of guiding one through the creation of a complex model (a blimp) and scene, including lighting and animation. Do not be fooled by the rash of newer 3D books on the market that, though addressing your specific 3D package, are hastily assembled, rampant with typos and erroneous steps, and composed of meaningless discrete examples that take you nowhere. This well-written and carefully-edited book remains one of the best resources on how to tackle a 3D project beginning to end.

This book was an excellent starting point for me. The examples used are software neutral enough to be used on any plaform. This book is a wonderful resource and reference, I find myself always referring back to it for definitions and examples. A must have for the beginner as well as the professional.

This is the book I had been looking for a long time. Most 3d Software Manuals or tutorials tell you how to do something. But, this book explains why. It also explains the differences in software concepts: Ray tracing vs. scan rendering, surfaces vs. meshes, the different types of textures, and the different ways to apply them. Lighting & camera utilization. A must for every 3d artist.

I don't usually rave about generic books like this but I'll make an exception. No matter what programme you are using to generate your little 3D gems, this book will give you a focussed step-by-step intro to doing almost anything that you need to provide professional results. Complete this book, pick up a few more on photorealistic techniques and change your name to George Lucas!

I had to choose between this book and the one by Michael O'Rourke. I chose this one because of the CD. But the CD is useless except for some sample files because it contains demos of some old applications and it's not working well in my computer.

I don't know about this book. I has a CD with it, but I've bearly used it in 4 years. Some reviewers love it. It is definitely not fluff. Lots of math, and well written. BUT it's about OpenGL and a bit about Direct3D. BUT I've found gaming coding books which are much more readable, 10x more useful at the same price (see any of Andre' LeMothe's books.

This is a great book. It is for beginners. It assumes some math background. And is discusses the fundamental concepts that apply to graphics development in a platform independent manner. However, there is a great implementation of a game engine (3dgpl) that supports multiple platforms, so you can see the concepts at work. I love it. After this book, I plan on reading a few more advanced books on game development, OpenGL and DirectX. This book is where to start.

This book is a great value -- it covers quite a bit of ground in a thin, relatively inexpensive book. While lacking the visual appeal and beautiful color foils of Foley and Van Dam's massive work, this book provides lots of valuable information.

This is an exlenet book if u starting out with computer graphics. It takes you through the basic principles of CG and rasterezation of primitives and only than goes into 3d. But if you are looking for some cool GI and NURBS programming techniques this isn't the book for you. This book does it's job well

A clean & simple look into the field of computer graphics, without the use of complex examples & arcane solutions. This book is by far the best I have read in the field of general graphics programming. The topics flow together in a logical manner that actually makes sense. The examples are applied solutions rather than the theological stuff you find in most other books. The straightforward style make it ideal to the beginner, yet it still contains lots of little tricks for the more advanced. A real gem.

This book tells you all you need to know about MAX. Everyone should buy it!!!

I was pleased with the book. It started out with the basics and worked up from there. Some of the advenced expression controllers took some tinkering to get them to work by it also helps you understand them better. worth the money!

This is the book for anyone using 3D Studio MAX for the first time. After completing the first 3 chapters I was able to begin reading (with understanding) the more comprehensive manuals for experienced MAX users. GREAT MANUAL, THANK YOU Michele and company.

First let me say that I had previously written a more positive review of this book; however, I may have been a little over zealous.

I asked Amazon.com to remove my review as I no longer felt the way I did about the book. Many months later I see my review still on the board, so I have taken the time to write a more accurate review of this book.

Now to the review:

The book has a good section on the Fit Deformation command of the lofting component. The model that you make (a woman's high heeled shoe) is a good practical model for learning the Fit Deformation command and the other features that go along with the lofting component. A pretty good section on animating a hopping kangaroo, however...

In the tutorial that shows you how to model and animate a kangaroo, the author clearly states that the boolean function may not work when modeling the kangaroo. She's right! I never got it to work. Boolean functions are indeed tricky, but to put a tutorial that is clearly going to have a difficult time performing a boolean function shows extreme short sightedness. As a seasoned 3DSR4 user, I had the patience to try this boolean over a dozen times before I gave up. I cannot imagine new users truly understanding the usefulness of the boolean function if it doesn't work in a tutorial.

Half the book is made up of one tutorial in which half of that tutorial is composed of programming. Most 3D artists are artists, not programers. I don't mind learning some scripting but the tutorial they provide (which is pretty neat, by the way) is way too long and complicated.

In sum, they should get rid of the kangaroo tutorial and the space buggy tutorial.

This book, written ages ago for MAX 1.2, doesn't do the job now that MAX is up to v2.5. While I did learn a few interesting tricks, for the most part I was dissapointed. Several tutorials contained blatant errors or would not work as explained. Most of what you learn here, you learn by fixing the author's errors or figuring out the things he forgot to tell you. Add to that the fact that it's out of date, and it adds up to a definite last resort resource book.