Mental Ray, For Maya, 3ds Max, And Xsi: A 3d Artist's Guide To Rendering

This is a one-stop resource for the keys to rendering with mental ray that 3D artists can’t get any where else. The book shows how to create stunning, highly realistic images with mental ray using the most popular 3D programs, with a focus on helping artists make informed decisions on advanced lighting and workflow issues that will transform their creations into studio quality photo-realistic characters, objects, and landscapes. The tutorials have been developed and tested in the author’s professional studio, as well as in the classroom, providing artists with the level of expertise they need to stay current and students with cutting-edge know-how to take to their job hunt.


Table of contents :
· Introduction
· Introduction to mental ray
· Rendering Algorithms
· Mental ray Output
· Camera Fundamentals
· Quality Control
· Lights and Soft Shadows
· Shadow Algorithms
· Motion Blur
· The Fundamentals of Light and Shading Models
· Mental ray Shaders and Shader Trees
· Mental ray Textures and Projections
· Indirect Illumination
· Final Gather and Ambient Occlusion
· Subsurface Scattering
· Appendix: About the Companion CD
· Index


Market Description :
· Video Game Artists
· Animators
· Effects Specialists
· Game Developers
· Industrial And Architectural Designers
· Broadcast And Multimedia Designers
· Instructors
· Students

About Author :
Boaz Livny teaches advanced Maya and mental ray courses at New York’s prestigious Center for Advanced Digital Applications and heads the Advanced Maya training at the NY Film Academy. His Vision Animations Inc. studio has provided work to Microsoft Xbox, Nicktoons, Disney, Dora the Explorer, Whirlpool, AOL and more. Boaz regularly writes articles on mental ray and other advanced animation topics for HDRI 3D magazine and is a contributor to Mastering Maya 7 (Sybex).