Amazon.com description: Product Description: Model, Rig, Animate! with 3ds max 5 uses easy-to-follow tutorials and illustrations to show you how to model a low-polygon character, create a rig (with no plug-ins!), then animate the character. It focuses on the tools you need to get a result, so you can learn quickly and put your knowledge into practice right away with your own characters and projects.

In the first chapter, you'll start from scratch with a box, and model a fully animatable body including fingers, shoes, and clothing. Then you'll model a head, face, and hair. You can use these tools to create any character with 3ds max 5.

Chapter 2 covers rigging, the process of setting up controls for the character. You'll create a simple yet complete rig from start to finish with bones, IK chains, custom attributes, and parameter wiring. You'll rig the character so it can perform standard actions like raising its arm or making a fist with just a few mouse clicks. You'll also learn a few simple scripting techniques for customizing the rig. You can apply the information in this extensive chapter to any character rig. The entire rig uses just 3ds max tools, without relying on Character Studio or other plug-ins.

Chapter 3 covers the use of the Skin modifier, showing you how to get smooth deformation with envelopes and vertex weights. You'll learn how to adjust tricky areas like hips and shoulders, and how to eliminate pinching at elbows and knees with angle deformers.

In Chapter 4, you'll animate the character using tried-and-true animation principles. Using your rig, you'll make the character walk and perform other classic actions. You'll also learn how to set up and use morph targets for facial animation, plus a simple technique for controlling a character's eyes.

Each chapter uses numerous tutorials and pictures to take you through the process step by step. New concepts are explained in clear, easy-to-understand language, so you understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. By the end of this book, you'll be able to model, rig, and animate characters of your own design with 3ds max 5.

Note: The tutorials in this book do not use or require the Character Studio plug-in for 3ds max.

Note: This book has a paperback binding. For the coil-bound version, see ISBN 0970683057.