Getting Started

Create professional-looking 3D models, photorealistic still images, and film-quality animations on your PC using 3ds Max.

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Chen Qinfeng

www.chen3d.com

If you are new to 3D modeling or to the program, it is a good idea to first explore the introductory tutorials in order to familiarize yourself with the tools and concepts. Choose Help menu Tutorials to access them.

Topics in this section

Project Workflow
Every project is different, but there are overall steps that apply to nearly every model you create with 3ds Max.
The Welcome Screen
Provides learning information, methods to create a new scene or open recent files, and access to various Autodesk resources for 3ds Max.
Start-Up Templates
Templates help you quickly begin work on the kind of scene you want to create.
3ds Max Interface Overview
The 3ds Max interface comprises controls, status information, and viewports, where you work and view your scene.
The Design Standard Workspace
Provides access to many commonly used 3ds Max features, and easy access to the help and other learning resources.
Setting Up Your Scene
You start with a new unnamed scene when you open 3ds Max. You can also start a new scene at any time by choosing New or Reset from the Application menu.
Modeling Objects
You model objects in your scene by creating standard objects, such as 3D geometry and 2D shapes, and then applying modifiers to those objects. 3ds Max includes a wide range of standard objects and modifiers.
Using Materials
You use the Material Editor to design materials and maps to control the appearance of object surfaces. Maps can also be used to control the appearance of environmental effects such as lighting, fog, and the background.
Placing Lights and Cameras
You place lights and cameras to complete your scene in much the same way lights and cameras are placed on a movie set prior to filming.
Animating Your Scene
You can animate almost anything in your scene. The Auto Key feature enables automatic animation creation, or, for more control, use Set Key to create animation manually.
Rendering Your Scene
Use the rendering features to define an environment and to produce the final output from your scene.
Managing Files
3ds Max supports many types of files for working with plug-ins, image maps, models from other programs, rendering images and animations, and of course saving and opening your scene files.
Importing, Merging, Replacing, and Externally Referencing Scenes
You can realize great productivity gains when you reuse work by combining geometry from scenes or other programs. 3ds Max supports this technique with the Import, Merge, and Replace commands. You can also share scenes and objects with others working on the same project using XRef functionality.
3ds Max Documentation Set
The documentation set for 3ds Max resides primarily online. (Two exceptions for offline users are noted below.) Most documents are available from the Start menu Programs Autodesk [program folder] Help folder, as well as from the Help menu within 3ds Max and the Additional Help dialog.
About MAXScript
MAXScript is the built-in scripting language for 3ds Max.