Product Description Turn 3D models into film worthy digital animations by mastering mental ray rendering once and for all. The must-have guide is the only book on the market to focus exclusively on mental ray in Maya, 3ds Max and XSI, and it is packed with techniques and ideas you can not get elsewhere. Best of all are the concepts advanced book delivered to other rendering software as well, including V-Ray, Brazil, Maxwell and RenderMan. Discover advanced lighting, camera. . . More>>
mental ray for Maya, 3ds Max, and XSI: A 3D Artist’s Guide to Rendering
As I usually approach XSI user Sybex all publications with a good dose of anxiety. Of course, it is so XSI have on the cover, but I’m sifting through another publication Maya-centric. I tip my hat, you sir, I think it’s for one of the best guides in a long time (and I bought my share). It’s nice to see the “big three” all programs receive the same attention, and for all those who speak the language, can in one package, it is invaluable for all aspects of mental ray reported in triplicate, just in case, you need to dive into another to make the project an external application to tune up. Again, excellent work, this book is valuable for every artist wishing to complete their chops. I hope to see Sybex, is also (as in sales and others) and continues to create books of this caliber for Maya, 3ds Max and XSI.
Cheers Aaron Kent
This book provides a definitive method for using mental ray shaders, lighting effects and phenomena and a clear explanation of how and why things work the way they do. Understand the basic structure of the software is the key to being able to work in different applications, and in this spirit that Boas, in this book.
When Maya instructor at the undergraduate and graduate university, I would make this required reading for my classes, and recommend its inclusion in the departmental library.
After reading some books about mental ray and rendering 3D, I can say that it is a unique and comprehensive book that offers a host of useful information. I can list some of the things that emerge from reading this book:
1 It helped me understand the whole process work and optimizing the distribution of the basement, global illumination, caustics, occlusion, and High Dynamic Range Images (although I thought I knew them all).
second Shaders. . Shaders and shaders. . I can certainly say that it is the only book that all mental ray shaders available on the market dissected at a very wide.
3 As the book explains the concepts and techniques that can be on a wider scope to any package or 3D renderer applied. This may seem surprising, but I used a large number of concepts presented here for other packages like Houdini and Cinema 4D with great success.
The author has done a fantastic job in removing a relationship between the implementation of digital cameras, natural phenomena, light, shadow, materials, etc. It certainly has users at all levels of experience. I should also mention that the book is incredibly up to date, the steps of shader architecture is a typical example.
Hats Off!
I am an intermediate user Maya and I work as a generalist in a small visual effects studio in Los Angeles who works primarily television and commercials. I have been specializing in lighting and rendering, and this book is the ideal source for my situation (and I have a lot of time / money spent on research resources Mental Ray). It regulates all the fundamental concepts for intermediaries Mental Ray, opened the way for the reader, go to advanced programming of shaders and lighting. I recommend this book to us on a solid foundation of knowledge, Mental Ray.
After many books and resources to make mental ray, lighting and rendering in general, I found this book the perfect balance between light and rendering techniques to strike under the hood. Not only does it cover mental ray in more depth than any other book or a pack of tutorials I met (in particular as regards the shadows, a topic that is covered better here than most places), both artists who do, is written practical application of their characteristics, by popular applications such as Maya and XSI, and technicians who want a comprehensive overview of 3D databases for the real world.
To me, this book is the definitive resource jump started my career as a technical director in the film industry. The techniques that I made this site really helped me develop more as an artist and a problem solver. Sampling and Ray tracing algorithms, the frame buffer to the lighting world real fundamentals, shadows and the principles it contains essential knowledge for anyone camera in the industry to differentiate their expertise and understanding , as these things work!