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Modeling and Animation

KOWBOY's kickass 3D Studio Max r3 tutorial - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, by Kowboy/Nextempire Some 3D Studio Max tutorials that are very good. The first one is targeted toward the beginner and is about the interface. The second is on basic model creation and getting started. Then in the third one we put in textures, then on to dealing with lighting, and finishing up with makin the suckah move. A fairly nice little set. Head over and look.

ZeroCartin's Q3 Modelling tutorial in 3ds Max by Zero Cartin A quick and dirty tutorial for modeling a torso, arms and head in 3DSMax. Brought to you by the Q3 Manga Mod folks.

Milkshape Tutorials by Brian "-Iso-" Hayes A whole bunch of really good tutorials dealing with modeling in Milkshape. If you're a casual game artist without much dough and a good conscience this is probably the best modeling software available. If you're not sure how to use it, turn here. As with all tutorials in this section, many of the ideas presented can be carried to other software packages.

Anatomically Correct Character Modeling by Stefan Henry-Biskup (courtesy of Gamasutra) A really nice tutorial/discussion on the finer points of modeling. Very useful if you're having trouble setting up bones in your bipedal creatures, and just a good resource in general.

Surface Tools by Scott A. H. Ruggels This method of construction uses the native splines in Max, for the construction of "cages" that define the shape and volume of an object, and then use those splines to generate a surface, which is then converted to a polygonal mesh. Sound complicated? Well it's quickly becoming one of the most popular methods for constructing models.

Machinima Modeling Tutorials - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6 by Machinima.com A multi-part article and tutorial on making 3D characters and animations, speifically for use in real-time 3D engines such as the Quake series of engines. These tutorials are based in Milkshape, but the principles can be applied to many modeling packages. The last two installments get kind of game specific.

Modeling a Weapon with 3D Studio Max 3.0 by Capture 'n Hold A tutorial for modeling weapons and creating mapping coordinates for them.

Alcor's Clever Ways by Alcor Some great tips from one of our very own, the author of Hellspawn, Witchblade, and the Mask. An absolute plethora of information on all manner of stuff, from skinning, to modeling to animating. Highly recommended.

GWOT's Tutorials and Links The author of the [../../../myweb/models/terminator.htm Terminator] model has compiled a set of tutorials that he's made as well as a set of link to different links around the community. Definitely worth a look around if you're looking for info on getting started. He's also pretty competent in 3D Studio MAX and can answer questions from newbies on that program

Mesh Modeling All the Way by Claes Wikdahl This tutorial explains the techniques and concepts behind mesh modeling as the author does it. It covers the basics and up, so that even beginners can get the hang of it. At the same time, this is all you need to know to create some really advanced models. This is really good stuff and almost required reading.

How to Make 3D Weapon Models by The Rogue Spear Database How to model a gun in Max, pretty much. The concepts discussed in this tutorial can be applied to almost anything, so extrapolate what you may.

ColdFusion's Modeling Tutorials by Scarecrow of Cold Fusion Some absolutely wonderful tutorials for modeling, skinning and animating in Max or Milkshape.

Modeling in Milkshape by Darkstar Entertainment Several tutorials, in .avi format, about modeling in a nice free program that's a viable alternative if you don't have the cash to shell out for the big boys.

ShadoKat's Q2Modeler Tutorial by ShadoKat Building a box using Q2Modeler, a nice freeware modeling program. More installments are planned, but I wouldn't hold my breath. These are considered to be for the ABSOLUTE beginner.

Character Modeling by Paul Steed Mr. Steed does a very nice tutorial on basic model creation in MAX. He shows us step by step creation of a character model including a few redos of some sections of the model. The model his called Sleeg, but it very well could be the start of the Sorlag model for Q3A. Comes in 3 parts: http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.14/totb/ part2]] [[http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.16/totb/ part3

Edge Turn - Inside 3D MAX / volume 1 by John Hsia Author's Note: Edge turn affects a single, shared edge by redirecting the edge to the other vertices of the two faces.

Lets'Grow'Them'Arms - Inside 3D MAX / volume 1 by John Hsia Author's Note: These next few pics will show you how I use extrude in some instances to grow arms. You can basically model your whole character this way, by selecting key faces where the head, arms and legs should be and extrude them out.

Low Polygon Character Generation using 3DSMAX 1.x or 2.0 by Andrew "ALPHAwolf" Gilmour This tutorial will guide you to build a low poly single mesh character starting with a box. There are various ways of building LPCs and this is just one method. It's gotta be a good place to start if it's coming from ALPHAwolf's brain.

Low Polygon Modeling In MAX R2.5 Located in the 3D Cafe by Platinum Pictures this modeling tutorial guides users step by step through the process of creating a low polygon shark. To all you budding MAX modelers out there, this could give you a few handy pointers.

[tutorials/Shine_Tut03/PolyReduce.shtml Polygon Reduction] by Jon "shine" Jones This one goes through a high polygon count gun and shows some basic ideas and steps on deleting completely unused polygons and reducing polygon detail in areas that its just not needed. A nice tutorial for all new modelers for the concepts, not just for Lightwave users anymore.

[tutorials/Shine_Tut04/Making%20a%20Head.shtml Modeling A Head] by Jon "shine" Jones Just when you thought you were about to bust from all the LW knowledge you now have, Shine come along with a pin to pop ya with another nice tutorial for you. The title pretty much says it all.

Character Studio basics by Paul Steed This is a pair of tutorials on the basics of Character Studio's two parts, Biped and Physique. If you're looking to learn this plugin for MAX and don't have the manual [cough] for some reason, this is going to be your single best source tutorial for using it in the realm of player models. http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.30/totb/ part two

Character Studio Tutorials For those looking to do a little Character Studio-ing, Nemesis has bitch slapped together many incredible Character Studio tutorials. Very useful lessons are going on at his home, Zed-Axis, so get a move on!

Walk cycle animation basics by Paul Steed A basic and succinct tutorial on making a walk cycle for a character.

[tutorials/Shine_Tut05/Setup%20Bones%20Part1.shtml Setting up bones and IK in Lightwave, Part 1] by Jon "shine" Jones IK isn't covered in this first part, but setting up a character with bones is. So if you're lookin' for Lightwave help, then check this one out and don't hesitate to check out all of shine's previous tutorials while you're at it!