3ds Max help

Hello. I found 3ds max pretty cheap on ebay. I know its not the latest, but is it still good. Will I be able to import a video file to add digital characters to? Please tell me if it is worth it, I currently use a anim8or. Either way it is an upgrade.

 

For the most part it is illegal for people to sell 3ds Max on ebay. You better make sure they are legitimate because a lot of people use the software and then sell it (you can't sell it and transfer the license) so the only way you can buy it from ebay is to buy a copy that's new and the serial hasn't been registered. Just make sure of that.

And yes, you can easily import video to add stuff to. It's in the Environment window.

 

thanks. I am cutting it close, but I set up a bank account tommorow, which will verify my paypal. Which means I verify hours before the bidding ends. And yes, the bidder has 99.5% positive feedback I beleive. And since it is a older version, he/she probably upgraded by now. Oh, and what is the best way to start out 3ds max once I install it? Any good site for tutorials. What I really want to try is a cg character(without camera movement) interacting with a live shot video. Would that be a lgical first test, even on the first day?

 

If they used it then don't buy it. You wouldn't be able to activate it.

There aren't any tutorials specifically on getting characters into video. But I would look into the actual tutorials that come with the program. Like the Camera match tutorial which will tell you how to match a camera to some still video you have so you can add stuff to it.

By the way, you're a student right? Well, as a student you qualify for student pricing, www.studica.com has good pricing on Max 9, around $180 for a 1 year license and $360 for a perpetual (never ending) license.

 

Whatever version you get, I would buy the 3ds Max Bible. Its pretty cheap for older versions, but worth for the newer ones as well. Its saved me a lot of time getting started. I've only been using the program for 3 weeks and I'm already making far more realistic animations that I ever could with 3D Canvas and Anim8tor (the othe programs that I've used).