3ds Max: Cinematography for Visualization

3ds Max features advanced tools for realistic cinematography. Learn professional techniques of camera animation and special effects using the powerful 3D camera tools.

3ds Max offers a full suite of powerful 3D camera features for design visualization, animation, and visual effects. This course covers core topics in camera rigging, animation, and special effects such as motion blur and depth of field. You'll apply the principles of live-action cinematography using the tools of 3D computer animation. Along the way, you'll learn best practices, both technical and aesthetic, in virtual cinematography. These techniques save time and effort by streamlining the camera animation process. The goal of this course is to help you more quickly and easily achieve professional results from the 3ds Max camera tools.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Viewport Tips and Tricks

• Hiding the ViewCube
• Saving a solid background template scene
• Restoring camera framing with Undo
• Setting Field of View
• Navigating in Walkthrough mode
• Isolating surfaces with Viewport Clipping
• Analyzing a Camera frame with 2D Pan and Zoom

2. Working with Cameras

• Displaying Cameras larger in the view
• Manipulating Physical Target Distance
• Choosing Safe Frames options
• Offsetting the frame with Lens Shift
• Locking transforms in the Hierarchy panel

3. Rigging and Animation

• Recognizing camera animation issues
• Rotation in the Gimbal coordinate system
• Choosing rotation order
• Rigging a camera for animation
• Keyframing a truck or tracking shot
• Keyframing pan rotation
• Keyframing a camera dolly
• Keyframing a zoom with Field of View

4. Compound Camera Animation

• Keyframing a track-pan
• Keyframing a pedestal-tilt
• Rigging and animating a crane shot
• Rigging for a Path walkthrough
• Animating a walkthrough on a path
• Keying rotations on a path
• Animating on an arc

5. Special Effects

• Rendering isometric views
• Defining physical sensor size
• Rendering motion blur
• Rendering bokeh with Depth of Field

Conclusion

• Next steps