This polar icescape involves a number of 3D Max skills. First you need to use a "Skydome" (there are several of these on our class web site).

The water is a plane with a Raytraced material set with a high reflection parameter. This is so it will reflect the skydome. The water plane also uses a bump map called "waves".

The icescape itself uses a modifer called "Displace". To make the displace mesh modifier work you need to make

 

a black and white map in Adobe PhotoShop. This goes in the "Displacement " slot in the material editor using a standard material. You also use this map for the color of the ice by duplicating it and adding bluish color. Then this is placed in the "Diffuse" slot in the material editor.

Notice too, the composition. The render setting is HDTV and the composition uses what photgraphers and artists refer to as the "Rule of Thirds". In this case, the horizon line is approximately 1/3 from the bottom of the frame.