Here in the back, I ve included some goodies to aid you on your journey to becoming a better and faster artist with 3ds Max.

These challenges will give you practice in the techniques described in this book. You can post your results at the book s website (www.howtocheatin3dsMax.com) for critiques and suggestions by me and other readers. The website also has additional training videos and files, so be sure to take advantage of these materials, and check out what your fellow artists are up to at the same time.

The Appendix also includes an alphabetical list of all CD files referenced in topics.

Challenges

After going through the topics in this book, you re probably eager to start putting the techniques to use. The challenges here are intended to inspire you to explore 3ds Max and create your own original works.

Use the images and guidelines provided here to practice the techniques in this book, or start with your own reference material. When you finish a challenge, I encourage you to post your work on one of the forums at the book s website, www.HowToCheatIn3dsMax.com.

I look forward to seeing your unique works of art, and to hearing about your experiences with 3ds Max.

Figure 1: Take a straight-on photo of a household object, such as a remote control or cell phone. Using the techniques described in the Modeling chapter, remove the perspective from the photo in Photoshop, and use the map both as a guide for modeling and as a texture. You ll...