Realistic Architectural Rendering with 3ds Max and mental -Ray (Autodesk Media and Entertainment Techniques) 2nd Edition

Very easy to follow and everything is broken down so it doesn't feel overwhelming at all and will help you get going on nice looking renders in no time. I would highly recommend this book.

nice book, good hints.I wish it would have described more details sometimes.The chapter about A&D material basics is very good.Some hints will not increase render time, but the results are looking pretty.and a lot of supporting material (scenes, mats...) can be downloaded.Also 6 Appendixes and a bonus chapter can be retrieved online.All in all, a good resource for beginners and intermediates!

This tutorial will maximize your skill level and ability to "produce renderings of professional level models" when you use ds Max software. Architectural design has been taken to a whole new level with this software and if you don't understand how to use it, you cannot relay your visual representation to your clients. In a competitive market you need to know what you are doing and this clear, concise book will guide you every step of the way from the details such as adjusting the effects of indoor illumination to bringing together the entire picture of a building by altering or choosing the type of sky you would like in the background. You will be able to explore your design, implement it and then communicate it to your client.The main thing you will not learn about is how to model "your architectural projects." What you will learn are the "ins and outs of creating renderings using mental ray in 3ds Max Design." The extensive visual aspect of this book will be huge plus if you are a neophyte to the software or could use a refresher course. As each chapter is introduced, you will learn exactly what each one has to offer. An excellent index affords you the opportunity to select particulars you wish to review or learn about. A very simplified list of things you will actually be taking a look at in this book include:* Learning how to prepare your files - this includes proper set up and urges caution and close attention to avoid problems down the line* Learning about the "materials used with mental ray" - how to use them, how to make searches, using templates, how to become familiar with the materials, etc.* Learning about how to utilize lighting in mental ray (sun, sky, hardware shading, interior lighting, etc.).* Learning "about rendering in mental ray."* Learning how to work with and "prepare materials to create an interior scene."* Learning how to use illumination in interior space.* Learning "about creating materials, lighting, and the process of bringing together a rendered image with a photographed background." (Photomontage)* Learning about photomontage lighting (daylight).* Learning about verified views.* Learning about "how to prepare materials in an atrium scene."* Learning how to light an atrium scene and make adjustments for the final render.* You will learn about working with and adjusting the mr Physical Sky Environment map.The first comment I must make is not on this well written and very comprehensive book, it is the fact that the 3ds Max software is not included in this book as this is a tutorial for its use. You can outright purchase the software, an excellent idea if you need it, or if you are in doubt there are offers to use it on a trial basis. I would recommend that you try the free trial and then consider this book (you will probably no doubt purchase it). What I liked the most about this book is the step-by-step, detailed information. For example, when you want to use Exposure Control you are told what it does, it tells you how to activate it, you have a visual of what you will see on your screen and four photographs of the different Exposure Values. This technique/tutorial will definitely get you where you want to go and is well worth the money. The amount of care and attention to detail in this book amazed me. The only thing that is missing is someone to turn on your computer for you and stand there and give you instructions!

I struggled with how many stars to rate this book, but the issues won out. This book extremely helpful in allowing you to learn from some experts how to make truly beautiful architectural renderings using "Autodesk 3ds Max 10" and mental ray. The "mental ray" portion is a rendering plug-in that is fully integrated into 3ds Max in recent versions. You will be able to save months of trial and error in order to produce realistic images. The downside is that this book is quite pricey, considering that 5 appendixes (60+ pages) and one "bonus" chapter (which is critical to the full understanding of the nuances of lighting an interior scene) are not in the book, but solely on the book's web site as PDF documents. For a book with a list price of $54.95, and where the appendixes have a lot of images, the value of the book is diminished substantially, unless you print out the PDFs and staple them into the book so you have access to them.Now, for the content. This book is clearly geared to someone that has used 3ds or similar packages; this isn't "Rendering for Dummies." Which is a good thing. It assumes you know your way around the program, and are familiar with CAD drawing terminology and techniques such as layers, materials, and so forth. Where this book shines, is being shown, step by step, through the nuances of creating renderings that not only look real, but are appealing. It takes the gazillion various options available using mental ray, and helps you learn the important ones, and how they influence the rendering, with several comparison images. Screen shots abound to help you locate the various features used. Besides the step-by-step tutorials, there are liberal notes along the way that help you to learn what the various settings really mean, such as what an "Ambient/Reflective Occlusion Map" does. Going through this book feels like you have an experienced mentor looking over your shoulder giving you the benefit of years of expertise on how to tweak things.The book has a good logical structure, starting with materials, helping you to look at sample images such as wood and cloth with an eye towards how light hits and reflects of the materials to help you use them (and adjust the various properties) in your renderings. Then lighting is discussed, and details on rendering the image with its attendant settings. Again we learn a little more background about such arcane settings such as "Max Refractions" and their impact on the rendering. Next comes a section on how to do a photomontage, placing your rendered building into a photograph of the existing site. This section is fascinating on all the various tricks used to make it really look like the final building when constructed on site. Additional chapters build more details on lighting and materials in different situations.Also very helpful are numerous tips along the way to help you avoid common problems. What would seem to be minor things, such as camera angle and placement in a scene dealt with in detail to point out the impacts on how a scene looks. Lots of materials are discussed, and how their properties affect how they behave.Overall, this is a great book, but it is frustrating that so much of it isn't physically in the book! The book's web site also has the sample photos and 3ds Max data files. Just be sure to download all the files. It seems that the book was rushed to publication; the final chapter seems to end abruptly, as if the authors hit the deadline. Some of the book's layout is a little jumbled also. There were a few captions that were incorrect, and some of the screen shots showed values that did not match up with the text.The index is pretty good, but it could be better. The "M" entry covers two full pages, with one full column of entries starting with "mr" - a little hard to navigate.