I bought the first 3DS Max Bible in 2003 and that time I gave up to read it. I was hoping that now, 9 years after that experience, the book would have improved but I was wrong. My impression is still the same. Yes, it is very comprehensive and describes almost all features. It covers a lot and the CD ROM includes many chapters and models from previous editions. And still, it is not the quantity that counts but the quality and there the book fails. There is just no learning effect. I can read hundreds of pages but if you ask me what I learned I can't really say. Am I stupid to learn 3DS Max? Well, its a very complex piece of software. But I think that any kind of software can be learned. But the Bible just does not help me. The tutorials are very short, and describe certain features in an isolated way. I just don't get the whole picture. It would be much better to work on a few tutorials which would cover step by step the learnings from the book. The chapters are also somewhat loose and there is no red line, no hand that takes me and runs me through the program. I'm getting lost in the chapters and sometimes I feel that the author himself got lost when writing the book. On the other hand, 3DS Max is very complex and I think its impossible to get the perfect book to learn it. So, as a reference I can recommend it but don't expect to learn much. I think its better to get some tutorials from the internet and learn by doing and if you have specific questions check the bible.
February 2012