With 3ds Max, you can create 3D computer animation for a variety of applications. You can animate characters and vehicles for computer games and produce special effects for film and broadcast. Additional applications include medical illustration and forensic presentation in the courtroom. Whatever reasons you have for producing animation, you'll find 3ds Max a capable environment for achieving your goals.
The basic method for creating animation in 3ds Max is quite simple. First you turn on the Auto Key button, then you move the time slider, and last you transform an object to change its position, rotation, or scale over time.
You can employ animation throughout 3ds Max. You can animate the position, rotation, and scale of an object, and almost any parameter setting that affects an object's shape and surface. You can link objects for hierarchical animation, using both forward and inverse kinematics, and you can edit your animation in Track View.
This section covers the basics of creating animation. It briefly compares computer animation with classic hand-drawn animation, and then describes the creation of keyframed animation.