Mapping Technique in 3ds Max

Normal Bump Mapping
Normal bump mapping is a technique that lets you simulate high-resolution surface detail on low-resolution polygonal models.
Normal bump mapping is similar in some respects to regular bump mapping, but it conveys more complex surface detail. Normal bump maps store not only the depth information used in regular bump mapping, but also information on the direction normal of the surface, to produce more life-like results.
The practical benefits of normal bump mapping were first seen in real-time gaming platforms. The ability, however, to create more realistic detail with fewer polygons is desirable in all areas of digital content creation. 3D artists of every specialty should therefore be familiar with two normal bump mapping techniques: the planar projection method and the cage projection method. In this section, each technique is presented in its own tutorial.

Composite Mapping

A composite map layers two or more texture maps onto one another, in order to produce a more detailed image.
The end result is determined by the level of transparency defined for each layer. Transparency can be global (applied to the entire surface of the layer), derived from the layer’s alpha channel, or based on a mask. To fine-tune the image, the pixels of each layer can also be blended with one another in a number of different ways.
In this Mapping, you will create a complex texture map of a steel shutter for a pawn shop. The map will consist of five layers of images composited together using various transparency settings and blending techniques.


Spline Mapping

Spline mapping is useful for mapping curved objects with a cylindrical cross-section, such as a snake or tentacle, as well as curved flat surfaces such as a winding road. This feature lets you use any spline to specify mapping on a mesh surface, as well as manipulate the mapping gizmo via cross-sections for greater accuracy. The result more closely approximates the actual shape of such objects than other mapping methods, making it easier to create convincing texture maps.

Adding Skeleton for the Human Body Model

There are few method on the 3ds Max to add the skeleton for the human body modelling to make the model move like a real human body.

There are two different method on doing the ringing such as physique technique and Skin technique.

In the latest version of character studio, Physique has more features than Skin, but they are more effective only on models with large polygon numbers (over 50,000 or 70, 000). We are discussing modeling with an average of number of polygons (15,000 to 20,000), where skin is preferable.

The only difference between Skin abd Physique is that the latter has only one skinning method: adjusting the envelopes of the bones to the vertices of the model. However, unlike the envelopes in Skin, this method is perfect.

In turn, unlike Physique, skin allows you to assign weights of the bones influence directly to the vertices for a fine adjustment.

Following Attachment are some tutorial on how to do both different ringing in 3ds Max:

3D Human Body Modelling

The human body modelling is crafted from a rectangle block and slowly added the body part one by one and enhance the shape for the body. The first step for modelling the body from the block is modify the block to have the body torso shape as the base structure, after that the hand is added by the extrude method from the cube to make the extension for the hand and also the leg part. After finish both the hand and leg body part, the head is add to complete the whole body structure.

the technique us to simplify the modelling process is by using the symmetric system so only one side of the body part have to be construct.

Following picture are the result of the final modelling:

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW

BACK VIEW

12 Principles of Animation

Squash and Stretch
To give a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn object.
The volume of the object does not change during the squash and stretch.

Anticipation
To prepare audience for an action, and to make the action appear more realistic.

Staging
To direct the audience attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a scene.
To keeping focus on what is relevant, and avoiding unnecessary detail.

Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
Straight ahead action means drawing out a scene frame by frame from beginning to the end.
Pose to pose involve starting with drawing a few key frames, and then filling in the intervals later.

Follow Through and Overlapping Action
To render movement more realistically, and help to give the impression that character follow the laws of physic, including the principle of inertia.

Slow In and Slow Out
The movement of the human body, and other objects need time to accelerate and slow down.
More drawing near the beginning and end of an action, emphasizing the extreme poses, and fewer in the middle.

Arc
Natural action tends to follow an arched trajectory, and animation should adhere to this principle by following implied "arcs" for greater realism.

Secondary Action
Adding a secondary action to the main action gives a scene more life, and can help to support the main action.

Timing
Timing refers to the number of the drawings or frames for a given action, which translates to the speed of the action on film.

Exaggeration
An effect especially useful for animation, as perfect imitation of reality can look static and dull in cartoon. The level of exaggeration depends on whether one seeks realism or a particular style, like a caricature or the style of a specific artist.

Solid Drawing
Solid drawing means taking into accounts forms in three-dimensional space, or giving them volume and weight. The animator needs to be a skilled artist and has to understand the basic of three-dimensional shapes, anatomy, weight, balance, light, and shadow.

Appeal
Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. The important thing is that the viewer feels the character is real and interesting.