I make these cool models and rig them but when I go to try texturing and rendering a photo realistic picture I fail utterly. I spend months at a time messing with my textures and lighting and I get almost no where. I am just plain fed up with it, no matter what I do I can't get the texture to look like I want it to and I can't get the lighting to reflect the right mood, detail on my model, or photorealism.
Does any one know any tutorials, books, or training DVDs that will explain texturing and lighting in detail. And not just show me how to do it but explain the different things and how they will act. I have the 3ds max 8 bible and It only tells me what the different maps and lights do but it doesn't show me how to use any of them, let alone how to combine them to get exactly what I want. I am in great need of knowing how to set up my lighting and setting up a render and making my textures exactly how I want them. I don't just want to be shown how to do a texture or a certain lighting like in most tutorials. I want to be taught how to figure them out my self and how to use what to achieve it.
Any help, links, or suggestions very appreciated.