So over the last couple of years ive been using max every now and then to model stuff as a hobby, i dont think im very good at it and compared to professional standards its probably utter trash but it was always something that i was interested in.
I thought about digging a bit deeper and getting some literature to "widen" my knowledge about the software and techniques in general.
Anything recommendable? If possible i would like to focus on sub object modeling and scene building / lighting.
Not literature but I can recommend Chamferzone tutorials
>>579478
Some of the big Max tutor names on /3/ are Tim Bergholz (Chamferzone on YouTube), Grant Warwick, and Arrimus3D on YT.
Between just the works of these three you can become a Max ninja. Tim has full-blown projects where he goes from modeling all the way to rendering, Grant is more focused on techniques and concepts that let you figure things out yourself, and Arrimus really focuses in on the specifics of Max - if you need a quick demo or refresher on what a certain feature of Max does and how it can be applied, chances are he already has a video on it.
They also apply various modeling styles to their work, Tim keeps things varied by using extrusion modeling but not worrying too much about quads or using booleans. Grant does things old school with quads and subdivision surfaces, while Arrimus goes yolo with booleans and baking detail into more detail.