9

1028 G lossa ry
Twist Links
Twist Links Mode a ctive (left) and Twist Links Mode inactive
(right)
WhenyouturnonTwistLinksMode(ontheBend
Links rollout (page 2–952)),arotationinlocal
X applied to a single chain lin k is incremented
equally throughout the rest of the chain. The
remaining two axes (Y and Z) are not affected by
this rotation.
Univer sal Naming Convention
(UNC)
The3dsMaxnetworkrenderingsystemusesthe
Universal Naming Convention (UNC) to identify
directories and files. UNC na mes begin with a
double backslash and do not includeadriveletter.
This is the convention:
\\machine_name\director y\subdirector y\
filename
To simplify network render ing, use UNC names
whenever possible within a 3ds Max scene, even if
the directory is on the local machine.
Tip: When entering UNC names, leave off the \\
before the file name until you’ve entered the entire
path and file name. This eliminates search delays
when entering UNC path names into file selection
dialogs.
Some networks require drive letters instead of
UNC names. Directories on such networks can
bemountedasdrivelettersandsharedoverthe
network. See Mounting a Directory (page 3–188).
UVW Coordina tes
Local UV coordinates sh own o n a su rface
Most material maps are a 2D plane assigned to a
3D surface. Consequently, t he coordinate system
used to describe the placement and transformation
of maps is different from the X, Y, and Z axis
coordinates used in 3D space. Specifically,
mapping coordinates use the letters U, V, and
W; the three letters preceding X, Y, and Z in the
alphabet.
The U, V, and W coordinates parallel the relative
directions of X, Y, and Z coordinates. If you look
at a 2D map image, U is the equivalent of X, and
represents the horizontal direction of the map . V
is the e quivalent of Y, and represents the vertical
directionofthemap.WistheequivalentofZand
represents a direction perp endicular to t he UV
plane of the map.
You might question why you need a depth
coordinate like W for a 2D plane. One reason is
because it’s sometimes us eful to b e able to flip the