This beautifully illustrated, full color book teaches artists how to create stunning and convincing textures using the popular 3ds max, Maya, and LighWave 3D programs. The book helps artists and animators understand the limitations that 3D animation places on creating quality imagery, and details the artistic techniques behind creating convincing textures, not just realistic or photorealistic ones. The tutorials and techniques included throughout the book don't just show users how to recreate a texture, but take them deep into the tools of the programs to help them really understand how and why they work. The book also describes the theory behind many aspects of the software, to give artists a deeper understanding of the technology, and its past, present, and future.