--- product_id: 1570799 title: "Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds Max: Create natural fire, earth, air and water without plug-ins" brand: "pete draper" price: "60994CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1570799-deconstructing-the-elements-with-3ds-max-create-natural-fire-earth store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds Max: Create natural fire, earth, air and water without plug-ins **Brand:** pete draper **Price:** 60994CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds Max: Create natural fire, earth, air and water without plug-ins by pete draper - **How much does it cost?** 60994CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1570799-deconstructing-the-elements-with-3ds-max-create-natural-fire-earth) ## Best For - pete draper enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted pete draper brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Deconstructing the Elements with 3ds Max: Create natural fire, earth, air and water without plug-ins - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kf972giRL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Good techniques, awful book *by D***Y on Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016* Went looking for this particular Max tutorials book based on some reviews I'd seen. This is the author's "third edition" of the book, but in truth it's less an Edition than a Volume. Volumes 1 and 2 had almost completely different ranges of tutorials; in truth, this edition (purchased as one would normally expect a "third edition" to have corrected the errors and omissions of the first two "editions") didn't _have_ the tutorial I purchased the book to acquire.Normally these high-priced computer How To books include a disk with the external files needed for the projects. Not this one. Not only was there _not_ a disk, but the web addresses listed in the book to _download_ said files no longer function; sloppy beyond forgiveness. (You can find them by googling, but it's a lengthy process, and disappointing as heck.) While it's possible to walk through the tutorials following the book's instructions, many of the tutes rely on images or meshes that you don't have if you don't download them.And then, for the Third Edition, the author made sure that there's at least one typo or grammar gaffe--sometimes more--_per page_. Whoever edited the thing really doesn't need to be editing books for a living (or even as a hobby). I'm not talking the usual spelling differences between Britlish and Yanklish; I'm talking out-and-out spelling mistakes. The author's good with Max, but not really that good with the English language (and it's his mother tongue to boot!).All problems aside: once you've located and downloaded the tutorial files (I found the one I wanted--making coronae for a sun-like object), these tutorials _do_ cover the ground, and mostly nicely. The author gets into some seriously-deep Max work with them--this is not a book that would work that well for a raw beginner in Max or CG--but the end results can't be beat.Would I buy another book by this author? Probably not. Bait-and-switch with the necessary files and garbling the words (on EVERY PAGE; it's almost a record) simply mean that this particular author I might check into, but probably not drop money on. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book is amazing *by H***. on Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2012* I love this book. I teach 3d disciplines in Maya and still recommend this book. It's how to create all kinds of natural phenomenon without plugins of any kind. that's what makes this book so valuable to people looking for a good resource. Most 3d effects are being done by one "plugin" or another and that makes it hard to give your project a unique feel. I call it lensflareitis. Because you first see a lens flare in Photoshop and are amazed by it, but after seeing it several thousand times, it takes about .5 seconds to know that is how it was done. 3d has that same issue. once you have seen the output of a plugin a few dozen times you will know that the people were using it right out of the box and it removes the luster from the final product. With that being said what is important for effects is to have a good eye. That is what this book focuses on. It doesn't start with the software or a plugin. It begins a topic in this way. Research your subject. (if it is fire, look at pics of real fire, look at videos of fire, surround yourself with reference and break the effect down into the easiest to digest components). Then apply what you have learned to the core 3d concepts and develop your own look, layer by layer. In this way it makes your effects much more easily "tweaked" into a unique effect that will set you aside from the crowd. So you can get this book and just do the tutorials, but the real magic to me is the method. Once you get used to it, you will find your own answers and that is more valuable than any other thing you could learn. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. It's a gem. thank you for your time. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book! But the website was a bad idea. *by S***E on Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2009* First off the book is great, and Pete Draper comes through again with many great tutorials. This book is full of all new tutorials, that take you from start to finish. If you are familiar with the second edition, then you will want to add this to your 3DSMax Library, as it will increase anyone's knowledge, skills, and ability to create the effects you want. I have read plenty of other books on Max,(lighting, rendering, etc.) but no other book contains straight forward tutorials like these(Deconstructing series). Highly recommend for novices or experienced, everyone can learn from this book.Pros:Great tutorials, easy to read, pages are in color -makes it nice to see how end result should look.Cons:Online content -hope they go back to DVD format.UPDATE: Website is now fixed, and full tutorials are available for downloading.Also note: Pete personally responded to my post here on Amazon, there are not many authors who would do that, very few indeed. Thanks Pete. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1570799-deconstructing-the-elements-with-3ds-max-create-natural-fire-earth](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1570799-deconstructing-the-elements-with-3ds-max-create-natural-fire-earth) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-05-31*