User’s Reference Volume I AUTODESK 3DS MAX 9 ® ®
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toc Contents Introduction .............................................. xiii What’s New in 3ds Max 9 Extension 1 ..................... xiii 3ds Max Documentation Set.................................... xiv About MAXScript ................................................... xvii 1 Getting Started with 3ds Max ..................... 1 Getting Started with 3ds Max ..................................... 1 Project Workflow......................................................... 1 Setting Up Your Scene .......
iv Contents Link Display Rollout.................................................. 58 Object Display Culling Utility................................... 58 3 Undo/Redo ............................................................... 94 Hold/Fetch................................................................. 95 Delete......................................................................... 95 Selecting Objects ....................................... 61 Groups and Assemblies............................
Contents Parameter Collector ................................................ 138 Parameter Collector Menu Bar ............................... 142 Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) ....................... 145 Expression Techniques......................................... 146 Expression Techniques ............................................ 146 Trigonometric Functions ........................................ 150 Vectors .....................................................................
vi Contents Extended Splines .................................................. 284 Spring Dynamics Object ......................................... 400 WRectangle Spline .................................................. 284 Channel Spline ........................................................ 285 Angle Spline............................................................. 286 Tee Spline................................................................. 287 Wide Flange Spline..............................
Contents Mirror Selected Objects .......................................... 448 Array ....................................................................... 450 Snapshot ................................................................. 453 Spacing Tool ........................................................... 455 Clone and Align Tool .............................................. 459 Align Flyout............................................................. 462 Align .....................................
viii Contents Edit Mesh Modifier ................................................. 634 Edit Normals Modifier ............................................ 634 Edit Patch Modifier ................................................. 638 Edit Poly Modifier ................................................. 640 Edit Poly Modifier ................................................... 640 Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) ................... 647 Edit Poly (Object)................................................
Contents Turn To Mesh Modifier ........................................... 871 Turn To Patch Modifier ........................................... 873 Turn To Poly Modifier ............................................. 874 Twist Modifier ......................................................... 876 Unwrap UVW Modifier ......................................... 878 Unwrap UVW Modifier .......................................... 878 Edit UVWs Dialog ..................................................
x Contents Creating NURBS Models .......................................1079 Working with NURBS Models ...............................1080 Surface Trimming...................................................1080 Modifying NURBS Models and Creating Sub-Objects .........................................................1081 Quad Menu for NURBS Objects ............................1082 Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects .........................................................
Contents CV Curve: Close Curve Dialog..............................1228 Detach Dialog (NURBS)........................................1228 Edit Curve on Surface Dialog.................................1229 Edit Texture Surface Dialog....................................1230 Join Curves Dialog .................................................1232 Join Surfaces Dialog ...............................................1233 Make Loft Dialog....................................................1234 Make Point Dialog...
xii Contents
intro Introduction What’s New in 3ds Max 9 Extension 1 • Parameter wiring (page 2–412) is made easier with the dialog’s new ability to list only nodes that are selected in the scene. This latest release of 3ds Max brings compelling new features and value to the problems you face on a day-by-day basis. This short guide is to help you understand what those features are and how they can help you.
xiv Introduction • Thanks to a revamped interface, the DWG Import (page 3–539) toolset for geometry is now significantly easier to use. • Remapping an XAF animation file when loading it onto an object whose animation layers status has changed is easier thanks to the new Load Into Active Layer switch. Animation Improvements • Animate an effect such as a curling finger with ease with Use Pivot Point Center’s (page 1–446) new support for accumulated rotation of linked objects.
3ds Max Documentation Set • 3ds Max 9 Extension 1 User Reference : This document covers fundamental concepts and strategies for using the product, as well as details about the features of 3ds Max. In this version of the product, the this manual is available online only. Access the reference online by choosing Help > User Reference. Note: A printable version of the reference in PDF format is available for downloading from the Training Website at http://www.autodesk.com/me_training.
xvi Introduction Collection documents, but the 3ds Max User Reference documents all other mental ray components available in the 3ds Max user interface. This includes documentation for lights for mental ray and specific shadow types, controls for adding mental ray shaders to lights and cameras, mental ray materials, custom shaders for 3ds Max, and the mental ray renderer controls. • Autodesk License Borrowing Utility Help: Available as the file adsk_brw.chm, installed in the \program files\common files\au
About MAXScript Choose to print only the selected topic, or to print all topics in that chapter. After you make your selection, another dialog appears where you can choose your printer and other options. • Package scripts within custom utility panel rollouts or modeless windows, giving them a standard 3ds Max user interface. • Build custom import/export tools using the built-in file I/O. • Write procedural controllers that can access the entire state of the scene.
xviii Introduction Procedure To access MAXScript, do one of the following: • On the menu bar, choose MAXScript. The MAXScript menu appears. • Choose Utilities panel > MAXScript. From here, you can either write new scripts, edit or run existing scripts, open the MAXScript Listener, or use the Macro Recorder. To access the MAXScript Listener, you can also right-click in the Mini Listener and choose Open Listener Window from the right-click menu.
Getting Started with 3ds Max You use 3ds Max to quickly create professional-quality 3D models, photorealistic still images, and film-quality animation on your PC.
2 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max Modeling Objects Main program window Note: If you open 3ds Max from a Command Prompt window or batch file, you can add command-line switches. See Starting 3ds Max from the Command Line (page 3–671). Note: 3ds Max is a single-document application, meaning you can work on only one scene at a time. However, you can open more than one copy of 3ds Max and open a different scene in each copy. Opening additional copies of 3ds Max requires a lot of RAM.
Project Workflow Material Design Radiosity (page 3–51) provides incredibly accurate light simulation in renderings. See Lights (page 2–1272). You can learn more about lighting by following the Introduction to Lighting tutorial. The cameras you create have real-world controls for lens length, field of view, and motion control such as truck, dolly, and pan. See Cameras (page 2–1365). Animation You design materials using the Material Editor, which appears in its own window.
4 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max animated effects. The Lip Sync tutorial covers Track View usage. Rendering A Typical Project Workflow These topics explain the basic procedures for creating scenes: Setting Up Your Scene (page 1–4) Modeling Objects (page 1–5) Using Materials (page 1–6) Placing Lights and Cameras (page 1–7) Animating Your Scene (page 1–8) Rendering Your Scene (page 1–9) Setting Up Your Scene Rendering adds color and shading to your scene.
Modeling Objects Setting Grid Spacing Set spacing for the visible grid in the Grid And Snap Settings dialog > Home Grid panel (page 2–49). You can change grid spacing at any time. See Precision and Drawing Aids (page 2–1) for information about the system unit, unit display, and grid spacing. Setting the Viewport Display Viewport layout options The default four viewports in 3ds Max represent an efficient and popular screen layout.
6 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max modifiers you apply to an object are stored in a stack. You can go back at any time and change the effect of the modifier, or remove it from the object. See Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects (page 1–153). Using Materials You use the Material Editor to design materials and maps to control the appearance of object surfaces. Maps can also be used to control the appearance of environmental effects such as lighting, fog, and the background.
Placing Lights and Cameras Placing Lights and Cameras You place lights and cameras to complete your scene in much the same way lights and cameras are placed on a movie set prior to filming. The program includes the following standard light types: omni, spot, and directional lights. You can set a light to any color and even animate the color to simulate dimming or color-shifting lights. All of these lights can cast shadows, project maps, and use volumetric effects.
8 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max see in a viewport is just an approximation of the true lighting. Render your scene to view lighting accurately. Tip: If the Daylight system appears to wash out the scene, try using the Logarithmic exposure control (page 3–297). Placing Cameras You create and place cameras from the Cameras category of the Create panel. Cameras define viewpoints for rendering, and you can animate cameras to produce cinematic effects such as dollies and truck shots.
Rendering Your Scene Rendering Your Scene Rendering an animation is the same as rendering a single image except that you set the renderer to render a sequence of frames. You can choose to render an animation to multiple single frame files or to popular animation formats such as AVI or MOV. See Render Scene Dialog (page 3–2). The 3ds Max Window Rendering "fills in" geometry with color, shadow, lighting effects, and so on.
10 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max • Group (page 3–674) contains commands for managing combined objects. Command Panel • Views (page 3–675) contains commands for setting up and controlling the viewports. This collection of six panels provides handy access to most of the modeling and animation commands. • Create (page 3–675) contains commands for creating objects. You can "tear off " the command panel and place it anywhere you like.
The 3ds Max Window 1. Menu bar 2. Window/Crossing selection toggle 3. Snap tools 4. Command panels 5. Object categories 6. Rollout 7. Active viewport 8. Viewport navigation controls 9. Animation playback controls 10. Animation keying controls 11. Absolute/Relative coordinate toggle and coordinate display 12. Prompt line and status bar 13. MAXScript mini-listener 14. Track bar 15. Time slider 16.
12 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max other informational displays. See Viewports (page 3–729). Viewport Navigation Buttons The button cluster at the lower-right corner of the main window contains controls for zooming, panning, and navigating within the viewports. See Viewport Controls (page 3–729). and navigate the panel quickly. And most other windows, including Schematic View and Track View, have right-click menus that provide fast access to commonly used functions.
Special Controls To open and close a rollout: • Click the rollout title bar to toggle between expanded and collapsed. • Place the pointer over any part of a toolbar, then press and hold the middle mouse button. 2. When the pointer icon changes to a hand, drag To move a rollout: • You can move a rollout in the expanded or collapsed state. To move the rollout, drag the rollout title bar to another location on the command panel or dialog.
14 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max The expression you enter is evaluated, and its result is displayed in the Result field. Click Paste to replace the field value with the result of the calculation. Click Cancel to exit the Expression Evaluator. The expressions you can enter are described in Expression Techniques (page 1–146). You can’t use variables in the Expression Evaluator, but you can enter the constants pi (circular ratio), e (natural logarithm base), and TPS (ticks per second).
Managing Files discard your current scene and revert to the held scene at any time. Managing Files You can choose to open and save files in any path location. The Configure Paths dialog contains four panels for the general categories of support files. Setting General File Paths File-management dialogs 3ds Max supports many types of files for working with plug-ins, image maps, models from other programs, rendering images and animations, and of course saving and opening your scene files.
16 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max material and map definition, light projections, and environment effects. Depending on the file type you choose, you might have options available for that import plug-in. Setting XRefs File Paths Merging Scenes Together The XRefs panel (page 3–812) contains multiple path entries that the program uses to search for externally referenced files. These are used for sharing files in a workgroup situation.
Using the Asset Browser Replacing Scene Objects Use Replace (page 3–470) to replace objects in your scene with objects in another scene that have duplicate names. Replace is useful when you want to set up and animate your scene with simplified objects, and then replace the simple objects with detailed objects before rendering. The Replace dialog looks and functions the same as Merge, except that it lists only objects that have the same name as objects in your current scene.
18 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max You can load the preset defaults that come with 3ds Max, or you can create your own. In general, you don’t need to work directly with the auxiliary files, but it’s good to know about them. Among the auxiliary files the program uses are: • 3dsmax.ini (page 1–18) : This file gets updated when you start and exit 3ds Max, as well as when you change most Preferences settings.
Backing Up and Archiving Scenes Note: Startup scene conditions are defined by the maxstart.max file. To save a particular startup condition, such as a Plane object representing the ground, create a scene file with the condition present and then save it as maxstart.maxvizstart.maxvizstart.drf. 3ds Max automatically opens this file when you start 3ds Max. The 3dsmax.ini file includes the following categories: [Directories]—Defines the default paths for various file operations.
20 Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3ds Max files used in the scene to an archiving program compatible with PKZIP® software. Crash Recovery System If 3ds Max encounters an unexpected crash, it attempts to recover and save the file currently in memory. This is fairly reliable, but it does not always work: the recovered scene could be damaged during the crash. The recovered file is stored in the configured Auto Backup path. It is saved as "_recover.max" in this path.
Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Everything you create in 3ds Max is located in a three-dimensional world. You have a variety of options for viewing this enormous stage-like space, from the details of the smallest object to the full extent of your scene. Using the view options discussed in this section you move from one view to another, as your work and imagination require. You can fill your screen with a single, large viewport, or set multiple viewports to track various aspects of your scene.
22 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space General Viewport Concepts Another way to use viewports is to place a camera in your scene and set a viewport to look through its lens. When you move the camera, the viewport tracks the change. You can do the same thing with spotlights. In addition to geometry, viewports can display other views such as Track View and Schematic View, which display the structure of the scene and the animation.
Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate Axes Home Grid: Views Based on the World Coordinate Axes Axes, Planes, and Views The grid you see in each viewport represents one of three planes that intersect at right angles to one another at a common point called the origin. Intersection occurs along three lines (the world coordinate axes: X, Y, and Z) familiar from geometry as the basis of the Cartesian coordinate system.
24 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Home Grid and Grid Objects • Axonometric views (page 3–913) show the scene without perspective. All lines in the model are parallel to one another. The Top, Front, Left, and User viewports are axonometric views. Axonometric view of a scene Above: Inactive grid object in a scene Below: Activated grid object The home grid is aligned with the world coordinate axes. You can turn it on and off for any viewport, but you can’t change its orientation.
Understanding Views Axonometric Views There are two types of axonometric views you can use in viewports: orthographic and rotated. An orthographic view (page 3–986) is a straight-on view of the scene, such as the view shown in the Top, Front, and Left viewports. You can set a viewport to a specific orthographic view using the viewport right-click menu (page 3–731) or keyboard shortcuts (page 3–871). For example, to set an active viewport to Left view, press L .
26 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Resizing the Viewport After choosing a layout you can resize the viewports so they have different proportions by moving the splitter bars that separate the viewports. This is only available when multiple viewports are displayed. The viewport on the right looks through the lens of a spotlight in the scene. Resized viewport Setting Viewport Layout Changing the View Type 3ds Max defaults to a two-over-two arrangement of viewports.
Controlling Viewport Rendering Key U V iew type User (axonometric) view. Retains viewing angle of previous view. Allows use of Zoom Region (page 3–742). you can select the object and choose Display as Box on the Display properties rollout on the display panel. none Right view. Use viewport right-click menu. Using Viewport Rendering Controls none Shape view. Use viewport right-click menu. Automatically aligns view to the extents of a selected shape and its local XY axes.
28 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Tip: If your scene mysteriously disappears and only displays as boxes when you rotate your viewport, you have pressed the “o” key on the keyboard, and unintentionally turned on Adaptive Degradation. See Rendering Method (page 3–853). Properties (page 1–117). These options affect display performance much the same way as viewport rendering options. For example, turning on Vertex Ticks for an object with a lot of vertices will slow performance.
Using Standard View Navigation Using Standard View Navigation To navigate through your scene, use the view navigation buttons located at the lower-right corner of the program window. All view types, except Camera and Light views, use a standard set of view navigation buttons. You can step back through the Undo View/Redo View buffer until you have undone all of the stored view-navigation commands.
30 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space of changing FOV is similar to changing the lens on a camera. As FOV gets larger you see more of your scene and perspective becomes distorted, similar to using a wide-angle lens. As FOV gets smaller you see less of your scene and the perspective flattens, similar to using a telephoto lens. Warning: Be cautious using extreme Field of View settings. These can produce unexpected results.
Using Walkthrough Navigation one of the directional keys (forward, back, left, or right). This feature is available for perspective and camera viewports. It is not available for orthographic views or for spotlight viewports. Animating a Walkthrough When you use walkthrough navigation in a Camera viewport, you can animate the camera walkthrough using either Auto Key (page 3–717) or Set Key (page 2–280).
32 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Forward, Backward, and Sideways Movement For movement, you can use either the arrow keys, or letters at the left of the keyboard pad. Tip: When you are in a Perspective viewport, you can use Undo View Change and Redo View Change ( Shift+Z , Shift+Y ) to undo or redo your navigation. However, when you are in a Camera viewport, walkthrough animation transforms the camera object, so you must use Edit > Undo and Edit > Redo ( Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y ).
Navigating Camera and Light Views horizontal axis, so the camera or viewpoint tilts only vertically. Lock Vertical Rotation—Pressing Lock Vertical Rotation ( Spacebar ) locks the vertical axis, so the camera or viewpoint tilts only horizontally. • Changes made with Camera or Light view navigation buttons can be animated the same as other object changes.
34 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Moving a Camera or Light View Changing Camera Perspective You move a camera or light view by clicking one of the following buttons and dragging in the camera or light viewport. • Dolly (page 3–746) moves the camera or light along its line of sight. • Truck (page 3–748) moves the camera or light and its target parallel to the view plane. • Pan (page 3–749) moves the target in a circle around the camera or light.
Grab Viewport shaded objects are replaced by their bounding boxes. Procedure You can change the display option, and set other adaptive degradation parameters, on the Viewport Configuration dialog (Customize menu > Viewport Configuration > Adaptive Degradation panel (page 3–859)). 1. Activate the viewport you want to capture.
36 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Views Menu (page 3–675) Undo View Change / Redo View Change (page 1–36) Undo View Change / Redo View Change Save Active View (page 1–37) Views menu > Undo View Change or Redo View Change Restore Active View (page 1–37) Keyboard > Shift+Z (Undo) or Shift+Y (Redo) Display Color Rollout (page 1–52) Grid Commands (page 2–33) Viewport Background Dialog (page 1–38) Select Background Image Dialog (page 1–42) Update Background Image (page 1–44) Reset Background
Save Active View into the geometry to adjust it, then use Undo Viewport Zoom to restore the original alignment of the geometry with the background. 2. Choose Views menu > Save Active View. The view is now saved and can be recalled using Restore Active View. Redo V iew Change—Cancels the previous Undo View Change. The name of the change you’re redoing appears in the View menu beside the command.
38 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Viewport Background Dialog See also Select Background Image Dialog (page 1–42) Views menu > Viewport Background > Viewport Background dialog Update Background Image (page 1–44) Keyboard > Alt+B Reset Background Transform (page 1–45) The Viewport Background dialog controls display of an image or animation as the background for one or all viewports.
Viewport Background Dialog The revised image or map is displayed in the viewport. To display the environment map in a viewport: 1. In the Environment dialog, assign an environment map. (See the procedure “To choose an environment map.” (page 3–272)) 2. In the Environment dialog > Background group, be sure Use Map is turned on (the default). 3. Activate the viewport where you want the map displayed. 4. Choose Views menu > Background Image. 5.
40 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space 7. In the Viewport Background dialog > Interface Background Source group, click Files to assign the same bitmap. 8. In the Aspect Ratio group, turn on either Match Viewport or Match Rendering Output. Click OK. 9. Render the viewport. The background displayed in the rendered scene should exactly match the background displayed in the Live area of the safe frames.
Viewport Background Dialog Animation Synchronization group Controls how sequences of images (for example, from IFL (page 3–616), AVI (page 3–609), or MOV (page 3–621) files) are synchronized to the viewport for rotoscoping (page 3–1003). Use Frame—The first field sets the first frame of the incoming sequence that you want to use, and the second field sets the last one. Step—Sets the interval between the frames you want to use. For example, if this spinner is set to 7, 3ds Max uses every seventh frame.
42 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+B Warning: If you zoom in too far, you can exceed the limit of virtual memory, and crash 3ds Max. When you perform a zoom that requires more than 16 megabytes of virtual memory, an alert asks if you want to display the background during the zoom. Choose No to perform the zoom and turn off the background. Choose Yes to zoom with the background image. Your machine might run out of memory as a result.
Select Background Image Dialog 5. Highlight the file name in the file list window. Interface 6. Click Open to select the image and close the dialog. 7. Click OK to close the Viewport Background dialog and display the background image. To select a set of still images as a viewport background: 1. Activate the viewport where you want the image. 2. Choose Views menu > Viewport Background. 3. Under Background Source, click Files. 4.
44 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Files of Type—Displays all the file types that can be Preview—Displays the image as a thumbnail in the displayed. This serves as a filter for the list. Image Window. Open—Selects the highlighted file and closes the Image Window—Displays a thumbnail of the dialog. selected file if Preview is on. Cancel—Cancels the selection and closes the Statistics—Displays the resolution, color depth, file dialog. type and number of frames of the selected file.
Reset Background Transform Note: Viewports can use the current Environment Map (set on the Environment panel (page 3–272) of the Environment and Effects dialog) as the background image. Show Transform Gizmo Views menu > Show Transform Gizmo Keyboard > X Procedure To update the background image displayed in a viewport: 1. Activate a viewport that contains a background image. 2. Choose Views menu > Update Background Image.
46 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Procedure Procedure To scale the transform gizmo, do one of the following: To show wireframe ghost copies of an animated object: • Press – (hyphen) to shrink the Transform gizmo. • Press = (equal sign) to enlarge the Transform gizmo. Show Ghosting Views menu > Show Ghosting Ghosting is a method of displaying wireframe "ghost copies" of an animated object at a number of frames before or after the current frame. Use it to analyze and adjust your animation.
Shade Selected Procedure To shade only selected objects in a scene: 1. Choose Views menu > Shade Selected. 2. Right-click the viewport label and choose Wireframe. 3. Select the object. Only the selected object is shaded. Show Dependencies Keyframes with frame number shown on a trajectory. Shade Selected Select an object to be shaded. > Views menu > Shade Selected Shade Selected shades only the selected objects in the scene when the viewport is set to Wireframe or Other.
48 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Procedures To show dependencies between objects: 1. Select an object with an instanced modifier (page 1–511). Create Camera From View Views menu > Create Camera From View Create menu > Cameras > Create Camera From View Keyboard > Ctrl+C 2. On the Modify panel, choose the instanced modifier in the modifier stack. 3. Choose Views menu > Show Dependencies Other objects with instances of the same modifier appear in a different color.
Add Default Lights to Scene 2. If necessary, adjust the viewport using Pan, Zoom and Arc Rotate until you have a view you like. 3. Leaving the viewport active, on the Views menu choose Create Camera From View or press Ctrl+C . 3ds Max creates a new camera, matching its view to that of the Perspective viewport, and then switches the Perspective viewport to a Camera viewport, showing the view from the new camera. Two default lights are placed opposite to each other.
50 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Interface Redraw All Views to redisplay your scene with all lines and shading restored. Activate All Maps Views menu > Activate All Maps Activate All Maps turns on the Show Map In Viewport flag for all materials assigned to the scene. Add Default Key Light—When on, adds the default key light to the scene. The key light is in front of the scene and to the left. The key light becomes an omni light (page 2–1295) with the name, DefaultKeyLight. Default=on.
Update During Spinner Drag Update During Spinner Drag Views menu > Update During Spinner Drag When Update During Spinner Drag is on, dragging a spinner (such as a Radius spinner for a sphere) updates the effects in real time in the viewports. Default=on. When Update During Spinner Drag is off, the effect is updated after the drag, when you release the mouse. Use this option when you’re adjusting processor-intensive controls. Expert Mode Views menu > Expert Mode • Press Ctrl+X .
52 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Wireframe— Controls the color of objects when the Display Color Rollout Display panel > Display Color rollout The Display Color rollout specifies whether 3ds Max displays objects using their object colors or their diffuse material colors (page 3–929), when the objects have their display properties (page 1–117) set to By Object. If the display properties of an object is set to By Layer, the layer color will be used for the display.
Hide Rollout Interface Bones—Hides all bones in the scene. IK Chain—Hides all IK chains in the scene. Point—Hides all points in the scene. All—Hides everything in the scene. None—Unhides everything in the scene Invert—Hides everything that is visible and unhides everything currently hidden. Add—Adds a display filter category to the list. Remove—Removes a display filter category. None—Deselects all highlighted display filters in the list.
54 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Interface Unhide by Name—Displays a dialog you use to unhide objects you choose from a list. See Select Objects dialog (page 1–78), which describes nearly identical controls. Note: If you select an object on a hidden layer, a dialog will pop up prompting you to unhide the object’s layer. You cannot unhide an object on a hidden layer. Hide Frozen Objects—Hides any frozen objects. Turn it off to display hidden frozen objects.
Display Properties Rollout Interface Note: If you unfreeze by name an object on a frozen layer, a dialog opens prompting you to unfreeze the object’s layer. You cannot unfreeze an object on a frozen layer. Unfreeze by Hit—Unfreezes any object you click in the viewport. If you press Ctrl while selecting an object, that object and all of its children are unfrozen. If you select an object on a frozen layer, a dialog will pop up prompting you to unfreeze the object’s layer.
56 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space • Position keys display as red boxes surrounding the appropriate frame dot on the curve. The boxes are white when the object is selected. Display as Box—Toggles the display of selected • If Views > Show Key Times is turned on, the keyframe numbers are displayed along side the keys on the trajectory. Particle systems appear as bounding boxes when adaptive degradation takes effect.
Display Properties Rollout display mode, as well as other modes with Edged Faces turned on. See-Through—Makes the object or selection Vertex Ticks—Displays the vertices in the selected geometry as tick marks. If the current selection has no displayed tick marks, the check box is clear. If some of the vertices in the current selection display tick marks, the check box contains a gray X. If all vertices in the current selection display tick marks, the check box contains a black X.
58 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space Show Frozen in Gray—When on, the object turns Interface gray in viewports when you freeze it. When off, viewports display the object with its usual color or texture even when it is frozen. Default=on. Vertex Colors—Displays the effect of assigned vertex colors. You assign vertex colors using the Assign Vertex Color utility, or the VertexPaint modifier.
Object Display Culling Utility Interface Culled Objects—Choose how to prevent display of culled geometry: • Hidden: Culled objects don’t appear in the viewports. • Display as Bounding Box: Culled objects appear as bounding boxes (page 3–919). Close—Closes the rollout. Enable—Turns Object Display Culling on and off. Default=off. Keyboard shortcut: Alt+O . You can also toggle Object Display Culling from the Views menu. Target Framerate—The desired frame rate.
60 Chapter 2: Viewing and Navigating 3D Space
Selecting Objects Most actions in 3ds Max are performed on selected objects in your scene. You must select an object in a viewport before you can apply a command. As a result, the act of selection is an essential part of the modeling and animation process. This section presents the selection tools available in 3ds Max.
62 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Identifying the Selection Interface In the user interface, selection commands or functions appear in the following areas: Select Object • Main toolbar Selection Objects • Edit menu • Quad menu (while objects are selected) Select And Move • Tools menu • Track View • Display panel • Schematic View The buttons on the main toolbar are a direct means of selection.
Introducing Object Selection Edit menu selection commands include: Select All (page 1–87) The Selection Floater has the same features as Select By Name. See Selection Floater (page 1–79). Select None (page 1–88) Track/Schematic View Selection Select Invert (page 1–88) Track View (page 2–501) is primarily designed as an animation tool, but you can also use its Hierarchy List window as an alternative method of selecting objects by name and hierarchy.
64 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Basics of Selecting Objects The cursor changes to a small cross when it’s positioned over an object that can be selected. The valid selection zones of an object depend on the type of object and the display mode in the viewport. In shaded mode, any visible surface of an object is valid. In wireframe mode, any edge or segment of an object is valid, including hidden lines. 3.
Selecting by Region Tip: You can also hold down Alt while you click to remove objects from selections. Selecting by Region To lock a selection: 1. Select an object. 2. Click the Selection Lock Toggle (page 3–707) on the status bar to turn on locked selection mode. While your selection is locked, you can drag the mouse anywhere on the screen without losing the selection. The cursor displays the current selection icon.
66 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Setting Region Type Choose Edit menu > Region to display a submenu of the following two items. Only one can be active at a time. The option is also available on the main toolbar. • Window—Selects only objects that are completely within the region. See Select Region Window (page 1–92) • Crossing—Selects all objects that are within the region and crossing the boundaries of the region. This is the default region. See Select Region Crossing (page 1–93).
Using Select By Name Using Select By Name You can also edit the contents of named sets from the Named Selection Sets dialog (page 1–84). You can select objects by their assigned names, avoiding mouse clicks completely, from the Select Objects dialog. Editing Named Selections Procedure To select objects by name: As you model and create a scene, you’re likely to rearrange the objects making up your named selection sets. If you do, you’ll need to edit the contents of those sets. 1.
68 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Using Selection Filters Geometry—Only geometric objects can be selected. This includes meshes, patches, and other kinds of objects not specifically included in this list. Shapes—Only shapes can be selected. Lights—Only lights (and their targets) can be selected. Cameras—Only cameras (and their targets) can be selected. Helpers—Only helper objects can be selected. Warps—Only space warps can be selected.
Selecting with Track View Selecting with Track View 2. Click any cube icon in the list to select the named object. You can make the following kinds of selections: • Select several adjacent objects in the list. Click the first object, hold down Shift , and click another object elsewhere in the list. • Modify the selection by pressing Ctrl while clicking. Ctrl lets you toggle individual items on and off without deselecting others in the list. • Select an object and all its descendants.
70 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects You can select any number of objects in Schematic View using standard methods, including dragging a region. For more information, see Using Schematic View (page 3–640). Freezing and Unfreezing Objects You can freeze any selection of objects in your scene. By default, frozen objects, whether wireframe or rendered, turn a dark gray. They remain visible, but can’t be selected, and therefore can’t be directly transformed or modified.
Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection Note: Hiding a light source doesn’t alter its effect; it still illuminates the scene. Another option is to hide objects by category. See Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category (page 1–72). Unhiding Objects You can unhide objects in either of two ways: • Use Unhide All to unhide all objects at the same time. • Use All On to display all objects at the same time. Original scene • Use Unhide By Name to unhide object selectively.
72 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects • Access the Object Properties dialog (page 1–117) from either the right-click (quad) menu or the Edit menu. Turn on Hide, Freeze, or both. If the button is unavailable because By Layer is turned on, click By Layer to change it to By Object. • Right-click in the active viewport and choose a Hide or Unhide command from the quad menu > Display quadrant. Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Category You can hide objects by category, the basic types of objects.
Isolate Selection (see Hiding and Unhiding Objects by Selection (page 1–70)). These objects remain hidden. You need to use the controls on that rollout to unhide them. • Unhiding by selection does not return a hidden object to the scene if the category of the object is hidden. The Unhide All and Unhide By Name controls continue to work, but the effect is not seen until the category is cleared. • Lights hidden by category continue to shine. Views through cameras and targeted lights are still active.
74 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Exit Isolation Mode—Click to end isolation, close the dialog, and unhide the rest of the scene. The views are restored to what they showed before you chose Isolate Selection. Introduction to Sub-Object Selection This is a general introduction to sub-object selection. For specific information, see Editable Mesh (page 1–996), Editable Patch (page 1–968), Editable Poly (page 1–1022), and Editable Spline (page 1–289).
Introduction to Sub-Object Selection as vertex, edge, face sub-objects, and so on. You can’t deselect the current object, nor can you select other objects. To leave sub-object editing and return to object-level editing, click the top-level name of the object in the modifier stack, or click the highlighted sub-object level. right-click the viewport label and choose Wireframe or Edged Faces view. Tip: For a detailed selection, you might want to zoom in on the object. 6.
76 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects • Your selection is locked. Click the Lock Selection Set button in the prompt line to turn it off. • You’ve set the Selection Filter (page 1–68) on the main toolbar to a specific category of object, so you can’t select any of the other categories. To fix this, select All in the Selection Filter list.
Select Object Select Object • Hold down the Alt key and select objects to remove from the current selection set. Note: Adding and removing objects doesn’t change a named selection set. Main toolbar > Select Object Right-click to open quad menu. > Transform quadrant > Select To toggle the selected/deselected state of multiple objects in the selection set: Select Object lets you select an objects and sub-objects for manipulation.
78 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects But when certain modes are active, the choices in the dialog are more limited. For example, when Select And Link is active, the dialog is entitled Select Parent, and shows linkable objects but not the child object already selected. Similarly, if Group > Attach is active, the dialog is named Attach to Group and lists groups but not solitary objects. Interface See also Selection Floater (page 1–79) Procedure To select objects by name: 1.
Selection Floater All, None, and Invert—These buttons alter the pattern of selection in the list window. By Type—Sorts by category, using the same order as the check boxes in the List Types group. Display Subtree—Displays each item in the list so By Color—Sorts by object wireframe color. The sorting order is arbitrary; the value of this option is that objects of the same color are grouped together. that its hierarchical branch (page 3–951) is included (for example, Thigh/Shin/Foot).
80 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Selection Region Flyout Main toolbar > Selection Region flyout Selection Region flyout You can leave this dialog up while you work in your scene, making it easier to select objects. The selection options are the same as those in the Select Objects dialog (page 1–78). You can display the Selection Floater only from the Tools menu. If you use the H key during selection, the modal Select Objects dialog appears instead.
Selection Filter List Customize User Interface (page 3–792) to assign it to a different keyboard shortcut, a menu, etc. Procedure To select using a region (general method): 1. Choose a Selection Region method from the flyout. 2. Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. The first location you click is one corner of the rectangle, and where you release the mouse is the opposite corner.
82 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects The new combo item appears at the bottom of the Select Filter list. Combos are stored in the 3dsmax.ini (page 1–18) file, so they remain in effect for all scenes through all sessions. To delete a combination filter: 1. Open the Selection Filter list and choose Combos. Create Combination group Geometry, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Space Warps—Choose the category or categories you want included in the combination.
Named Selection Sets Named Selections Named Selection Sets Main toolbar > Named Selection Sets The Named Selection Sets list allows you to name a selection set and recall the selection for later use. It supports selection sets both at the object level and at sub-object levels. You edit named object-level selection sets with the Named Selections Sets dialog (page 1–84)and sub-object level sets with the Edit Named Selections dialog (page 1–86).
84 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects To add objects to a named selection set: Named Selection Sets Dialog 1. Edit menu > Edit Named Selections Main toolbar > Named Selection Sets The Named Selection Sets dialog, available from the Edit menu, is a modeless dialog (page 3–973) that lets you create named selection sets or select objects to add to (or remove from) a selection set, directly from the viewport.
Named Selection Sets Dialog To select objects in a set: 1. Highlight the set in the Named Selection Sets Note: If no objects are selected, an empty set is created. dialog. 2. Click Select Objects In Set to select all of the objects in the highlighted set. Remove—Removes the selected object or selection set. Note: Deleting an object or its selection set does not delete the object; it only destroys the named set.
86 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Cut—Removes the selected object or set and stores it in a buffer for reuse with the Paste command, similar to the Cut command in Windows. Tip: You can use Ctrl+G to toggle through the Tip: You can cut an object or set by pressing sets. collaboration with the Highlight Selected Objects command. Ctrl+X . Copy—Copies the selected object or set and stores it in a buffer for reuse with the Paste command, similar to the Copy command in Windows.
Select All Interface two or more selection sets, and then click Combine and enter a new name for the selection set. Use Delete to delete the original sets. Delete—Deletes all highlighted items from the Named Selections window. This affects only selection sets, not the sub-objects they refer to. Subtract (A-B)—Removes the sub-objects contained in one selection set from another. Select one item in the Named Selections window, and then select the other.
88 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Select None Edit menu > Select None Keyboard > Ctrl + D Select By Color Edit menu > Select By > Color This command deselects all objects in the scene conforming to the current selection filter type (page 1–81) on the main toolbar. Select By Color lets you select all objects having the same color as the selected object. Selection is made by wireframe color (see Object Color Dialog (page 1–159)), rather than by any materials associated with the objects.
Rectangular Selection Region in the same layer by selecting one and then invoking Select Similar. If you start by selecting multiple objects with different styles, Select Similar will select all objects with those styles. Procedure To select using a rectangle: 1. Click the Rectangular Selection Region button. 2. Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. Region Selection The first location you click is one corner of the rectangle, and where you release the mouse is the opposite corner.
90 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Procedure Procedure To select using a circle: To select using a fence: 1. Click the Circular Selection Region button. 2. Drag in a viewport, then release the mouse. The first location you click is the center of the circle, where you release the mouse defines the circle’s radius. To cancel the selection, right-click before you release the mouse. 1. Click the Fence Selection Region button. 2.
Paint Selection Region method), or objects that are either within or touched by the selection shape (crossing method). Toggle between the window and crossing selection methods by using the Window/Crossing button (page 1–93) on the Main toolbar. Note: If you hold down Ctrl while specifying a region, the affected objects are added to the current selection. Conversely, if you hold down Alt while specifying a region, the affected objects are removed from the current selection.
92 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects You can also set keyboard shortcuts for changing the brush size. To do so, use the Paint Selection Size Up and Paint Selection Size Down action items. See Keyboard Panel (page 3–793).
Select Region Crossing painting a selection region, the brush must completely encompass an object or sub-object to select it. 3. Drag to specify the region and select the objects. 2. From the Main toolbar, click the Selection Region flyout (page 1–80) and choose a method: Rectangular, Circular, Fence or Lasso Selection region.
94 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Edit Commands These commands on the Edit menu (page 3–673) are for basic edit manipulations of selections. Undo and Redo work as in standard Windows applications. These commands are available on the default main toolbar as well. 3ds Max also provides a history of commands. Right-clicking the Undo or Redo buttons displays a list of commands you can undo or redo. Not all operations are reversible using Undo.
Hold/Fetch To undo several actions: 1. Right-click Undo. 2. From the list, select the level where you want to return. You must choose a continuous selection; you can’t skip over items in the list. 3. Click the Undo button. To exit the list without performing an action, click the Cancel button, or click somewhere outside of the list. To redo an action, do one of the following: • Click Redo. • Edit menu > Redo. • Press Ctrl+Y . To redo several actions: 1. Right-click Redo.
96 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects single, non-hierarchical object that you can then manipulate as one. Grouping works with all objects, while assemblies are best used for light fixtures and characters. For more information about groups, see Using Groups (page 1–96) and Group Commands (page 1–104).
Using Groups Accessing Objects in a Group You can open and close groups to access the individual objects contained in them without dissolving the group. These commands maintain the integrity of the group. • Open (page 1–105): Temporarily opens the group so that you can access its member objects. While a group is open, you can treat the objects (or nested groups) as individuals. You can transform them, apply modifiers, and access their modifier stacks.
98 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Using Assemblies You can use IK to point a luminaire’s beam by simply moving the light’s target object. Assemblies and Groups Object on the right is an assembly and is treated as a single entity. Assemblies are useful for creating combinations of geometry and light objects that act as lighting fixtures; you use them to represent the housing of a lamp and its light source or sources.
Using Assemblies for a light source in an assembly, the change will be reflected in all the instanced light sources. For example, in the early design stages, you might use shadow maps, but later you might want to switch to advanced ray-trace shadows for greater accuracy in rendering. Using instancing makes it easier to change such settings globally. General Features of Assemblies Once you assemble objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene.
100 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects as individuals. You can transform them, apply modifiers, and access their modifier stacks. • Close (page 1–109): Restores the assembly when you’re finished working with the individual objects. Using Make Unique with Assemblies When you clone assemblies using instancing, and then make the clones unique, it’s important to consider how this affects parameter wiring. Consider the following typical usage case: 1. Drag an assembly, such as a light fixture, into the scene. 2.
Using Assemblies When you disassemble or explode an assembly, any transform animation applied to the assembly is lost, and objects remain as they were in the frame at which the dissolution is performed. However, objects retain any individual animation. To transform or modify the objects within an assembly, you must first remove them from the assembly, either temporarily or permanently. The Open command lets you do this.
102 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects The only head object type available by default is Luminaire (page 1–111). 5. Enter a name for the assembly and click OK. 6. Wire (page 1–108) the assembly luminaire to its light source or sources. More information on parameter wiring is available at the link in this step. the character mesh, bones, IK chains, helper objects, controllers, and other objects used to animate characters.
Character Assembly Creating a Character Assembly To create a character assembly, first select the objects that will make up the assembly. Next, you need to add any character-assembly commands you wish to use to the user interface; see Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI (page 1–103). Last, choose the Create Character command. All selected objects become members of the assembly, and the character assembly node is created.
104 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Group Commands The commands to manage groups are on the Group menu (page 3–674). Group (page 1–104) Open Group (page 1–105) Close Group (page 1–105) Ungroup (page 1–106) Attach Group (page 1–106) Detach Group (page 1–106) Explode Group (page 1–106) Parameter Wiring and Animation If you plan to wire parameters between two objects, create the assembly first and then set up the wiring. Be sure to include both objects in the assembly.
Open Group All members of a group inherit the visibility of the parent when a visibility controller is assigned to the parent. Groups are considered whole objects in the Light Exclude/Include dialog, so you can exclude (or include) all objects in a group by selecting the group in the list. If a group is nested within another group, only the "outer" group is available in the list. To exclude only certain objects in a group, open the group before displaying the Exclude/Include dialog.
106 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Ungroup Select one or more groups. > Group menu > Ungroup Ungroup separates the current group into its component objects or groups. The Ungroup command ungroups one level, unlike Explode (page 1–106), which ungroups all levels of nested groups. When you Ungroup a group, the objects within the group lose all group transforms that were applied on nonzero frames, but they retain any individual animation. All ungrouped entities remain in the current selection set.
Assembly Commands Procedure To attach an object to a group: 1. Select one or more objects to attach. 2. Choose Group > Attach. 3. Click any member of a closed group. Once you assemble objects, you can treat them as a single object in your scene. You can click any object in the group to select the entire assembly. You can transform the assembly as a single object, and you can apply modifiers as if it were a single object. The selected objects become part of the group, which is now selected.
108 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects a head object (page 1–111). The default head object type is Luminaire (page 1–111). 3. Enter a name for the assembly, choose Luminaire (page 1–111) from the list, and click OK. The selected objects are assembled.
Open Assembly Edit this to read "Dimmer/100". This divides the Dimmer value by 100, giving a 1:1 value ratio between it and the Multiplier setting. 9. Click the Connect button. Now, when you change the luminaire’s Dimmer setting, the light source intensity changes as well. 10. If you like, use the same method to wire the luminaire to any additional light sources in the light fixture. You can also use this method to wire the luminaire’s Filter Color parameter to any light sources’ color settings.
110 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Note: If you select an object within an opened inner assembly, using Close will close only that assembly. 2. Choose Group menu > Assembly > Close. To close a nested assembly: 1. Select any object in the nested assembly or its luminaire. 2. Choose Group menu > Assembly > Close. Disassemble Select one or more assemblies. > Group menu > Assembly > Disassemble Disassemble separates the current assembly into its component objects or assemblies.
Attach Assembly Attach Assembly Luminaire Helper Object Select one or more objects. > Group menu > Assembly > Attach Create panel > Helpers > Assembly Heads > Object Type rollout > Luminaire The Attach command makes the selected object part of an existing assembly. The Luminaire helper object serves primarily as a head, or control, object for light fixtures.
112 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Character Assembly Commands Luminaire icon in the viewport Luminaire rollout Dimmer—Emulates the dimmer switch of a real-world lighting fixture. The setting determines the percentage of the default light intensity is emitted by the light source of a lighting fixture. You wire this parameter to one or more light sources’ Multiplier settings. Filter Color—An RGB color parameter that you link to a light source’s color or filter color.
Create Character 3. Use this method (page 1–103) to add the Character Assembly rollout character-assembly commands to the user interface, and then choose the Create Character command. The character-assembly node is created at the bottom of the entire selection, as viewed in the Front viewport. 4. On the Modify panel, use the character assembly tools to work with the character structure. The character assembly is given the default name of Character01, which can be changed.
114 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects these options when any member of the character assembly is selected. Set as Skin Pose—Sets the Skin pose to the current bone structure’s pose. The Skin modifier’s envelopes and vertex weighting are automatically recalculated to work with the new pose. Assume Skin Pose—Causes the bone structure to take on the Skin pose. This feature can be useful during the animation phase.
Destroy Character See also See also Destroy Character (page 1–115) Character Assembly (page 1–102) Lock/Unlock Character (page 1–115) Save Character (page 1–115) Merge Animation (page 3–466) Destroy Character See Adding Character Assembly Commands to the UI (page 1–103). Destroying a character deletes the character assembly node. If the character assembly is locked, the entire assembly is deleted.
116 Chapter 3: Selecting Objects Skin Pose Commands Animation menu > Set as Skin Pose is on will affect only the skin pose and not the animation. When Skin Pose Mode is turned off, the structure returns to its pose at the current frame. Animation menu > Assume Skin Pose Animation menu > Skin Pose Mode When the Skin modifier is first applied to a mesh, the bone structure’s current pose is used as the skin pose. Subsequent animation of the bone structure on frame 0 can cause the skin pose to be altered.
Object Properties The Object Properties dialog, available from the Edit and right-click menus, lets you view and edit parameters for how selected objects behave in viewports and renderings. Note that you cannot necessarily edit all properties; parameters that apply to renderable geometry are unavailable for non-renderable objects. However, parameters that apply to any object, such as Hide/Unhide, Freeze/Unfreeze, Trajectory, and so on, remain available for these non-renderable objects.
118 Chapter 4: Object Properties Interface these values are the values used if you have made the shape renderable. Faces for renderable shapes are generated only at rendering time. Shape Vertices and Shape Curves—Appear only for shape objects. Shape Vertices is the number of vertices in the shape, and Shape Curves is the number of polygons. (Shape Curves is the value that appeared as "Polygons" in previous releases.
General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) Frozen objects appear in the viewports, but cannot be manipulated. To unfreeze frozen objects, use the Display panel (page 3–775) or choose Tools > Display Floater (page 3–775). Note: Objects residing on a frozen layer are automatically frozen, regardless of this setting. Tip: The Layer Manager (page 3–656) is the easiest way to freeze groups of objects or layers.
120 Chapter 4: Object Properties Edges Only—Toggles the display of hidden edges and polygon diagonals (page 3–928). When on, only outside edges appear. When off, all mesh geometry appears. Applies to Wireframe viewport display mode, as well as other modes with Edged Faces turned on. Trajectory—Displays the object’s trajectory (page 3–1025). Default=off. Note: This option is also available in the Display panel (page 3–775) and by choosing Tools > Display Floater (page 3–775).
General Panel (Object Properties Dialog) Note: This option is also available in the Display panel (page 3–775) and by choosing Tools > Display Floater (page 3–775). Vertex Channel Display—For editable mesh (page 1–996), editable poly (page 1–1022), and editable patch (page 1–968) objects, displays the assigned vertex colors in viewports. The drop-down list lets you choose to display Vertex Color, Vertex Illumination, Vertex Alpha, Map Channel Color, or Soft Selection Color. Default=off.
122 Chapter 4: Object Properties so the check box also affects all instances of and references to the shape. Inherit Visibility—Causes the object to inherit a percentage of the visibility of its parent (as determined by the parent’s Visibility track in Track View). When a group parent is assigned a visibility track, Inherit Visibility is automatically turned on for all children in the group. The children will have the maximum visibility of the parent.
Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) Note: If multiple objects are selected and have different By Layer settings, this button will read ‘Mixed’. Multiplier—Affects the length of the motion-blur streak. If you choose either form of motion blur here in the Object Properties dialog, you must also choose to apply that type of blur in the Render Scene dialog (page 3–2). The rendering speed of object motion blur depends on the complexity of the geometry to which it’s assigned.
124 Chapter 4: Object Properties Interface the selected object. Most settings on this rollout are available only when this toggle is set to By Object. Default=By Object. Note: If multiple objects with different settings are selected, this button will read “Mixed.” Adv. Lighting General Properties group Cast Shadows—Determines whether objects will cast shadows in the radiosity solution.
Advanced Lighting Panel (Object Properties Dialog) For more information on the Radiosity-only Properties group, see Radiosity Control Panel (page 3–61). Object Subdivision Properties group Use Global Subdivision Settings—When on, the object’s meshing settings correspond to the global subdivision settings on the Radiosity Control Panel. When off, you can change the meshing settings for each object. Default=on.
126 Chapter 4: Object Properties When off, the light’s direct illumination is used only when you render the scene. This is comparable to the Render Direct Illumination option. for more information about the Re-Use Direct Illumination and Render Direct Illumination options, see Rendering Parameters Rollout (Radiosity) (page 3–71). In general, re-using direct illumination stored in the radiosity mesh improves render time, but shadows appear coarse and inaccurate unless the mesh is very fine.
User Defined Panel (Object Properties Dialog) Displacement group These settings let you apply displacement parameters on a per-object basis. Use Global Settings—When on, applies to all objects the Displacement settings on the Render Scene dialog > Renderer panel > Shadows and Displacement rollout (page 3–114). Turn off to make settings on a per-object basis. Default=on. View-Dependent—Defines the space for displacement. When View-Dependent is on, the Edge Length setting specifies the length in pixels.
128 Chapter 4: Object Properties Interface Interface Selected—When chosen, renaming affects currently selected objects. Pick—Click to display a Pick Objects To Rename dialog to choose which objects to rename. This dialog has the same controls as the Select Objects dialog (page 1–78). User Defined Properties—In this text box, you can enter properties for the object, or comments about it, that you define yourself.
Custom Attributes • Step—The step by which the base number is incremented in succeeding renamed objects. Rename—Click to rename the affected objects and have your changes take effect. As you customize an attribute, the result is displayed on the Testing Attribute rollout at the bottom of the dialog.
130 Chapter 4: Object Properties Type level, and then adds the parameter to the Custom Attributes entry. If an object has more than one Custom Attributes entry as a result of collapsing its stack, the parameter is added to the first Custom Attributes entry. If a custom attribute parameter is assigned to an object or modifier, you can see and edit its value on the Modify panel after adding it by activating the entity to which the attribute is assigned.
Custom Attributes To delete a custom attribute or parameter: 1. Select the object. 2. Choose Animation menu > Parameter Editor. The Parameter Editor opens. 3. From the Add To Type drop-down list, choose the type of parameter to delete, and then click Edit/Delete. The Edit Attributes/Parameters dialog opens. Note: If you chose Add To Type > Picked Track, the Track View Pick dialog might open first to prompt you to choose the animation track from which to delete the attribute. 4.
132 Chapter 4: Object Properties Note: If you choose Selected Object’s Current Modifier and multiple modifiers are highlighted in the stack when you click Add, Parameter Editor applies the custom attribute to the first modifier you highlighted and removes the highlighting from the other modifiers. [pick explicit track]—Click this button to open a Track View hierarchy window from which to choose an animation track. Navigate the hierarchy to find the desired track, highlight the track, and then click OK.
Custom Attributes available for that material in the Material Editor. To access a parameter that’s assigned to an animation track, open Track View, highlight the track’s Custom Attributes entry, and then right-click and choose View Attribute Dialog. • WorldUnits: Spinner (page 1–133) or Slider (page 1–134) UI Type group UI Type—Selects the type of UI element that Edit/Delete—Opens the Edit Attributes/Parameters controls the parameter. dialog.
134 Chapter 4: Object Properties Size group Size group Width—Sets the width of the spinner. Width—Sets the width of the slider. Range group Range group From—Sets the minimum value of the spinner. From—Sets the minimum value of the slider. To—Sets the maximum value of the spinner. To—Sets the maximum value of the slider. Default—Sets the default value of the spinner. Default—Sets the default value of the slider.
Custom Attributes Boolean UI Options rollout: Check Box Size group This is a standard 3ds Max check box that the user can turn on and off by clicking it with the mouse. Width—Sets the width of the check button. Height—Sets the height of the check button. Alignment group Left/Right/Center—Sets the alignment of the check button in the rollout. Offsets X/Y—Fine-tune the position of the check button on the horizontal and vertical axes.
136 Chapter 4: Object Properties The item at the top of the array list is the default selection. Node UI Options rollout: Pick Button A node is any object in the 3ds Max scene. The Node UI element creates a button that, when clicked, lets the user pick a scene node other than the one to which the attribute is attached. After selecting the node, its name appears on the button. Size group Width—Sets the width of the pick button. Size group Width—Sets the width of the list.
Custom Attributes Size group Width—Sets the width of the material/map button. Size group Width—Sets the width of the color picker. Height—Sets the height of the color picker. Alignment group Left/Right/Center—Sets the alignment of color picker in the rollout. Offsets X/Y—Fine-tune the position of the color picker on the horizontal and vertical axes. Height—Sets the height of the material/map button. Alignment group Left/Right/Center—Sets the alignment of the material/map button in the rollout.
138 Chapter 4: Object Properties Label group Label above text box—When off, the label (parameter name) appears to the left of the text box. When on, the label appears above the text box. EditText Default Text group Default Text—Enter any default text that should appear in the box before the user edits it. Testing Attribute rollout One of Parameter Collector’s most powerful features is the ability to change all parameters in a collection simultaneously, in an absolute or relative mode.
Parameter Collector All the values display 0.0, as with Offset mode on the status bar coordinate display. 6. Click OK to close the dialog. A new rollout named Parameters 1 appears, containing the X Position parameter. 15. Use the spinner to set Y Position to 0.65. Note: A parameter in Parameter Collector can contain only a single value (e.g., float, integer, color), so the software doesn’t let you add parameters such as Position: Position XYZ, which contains three distinct values. 7.
140 Chapter 4: Object Properties 23. On the Collection menu, turn on Show Keys In Track Bar if necessary. 24. On the 3ds Max status bar, turn on Auto Key. the track bar right-click menu, but it’s much easier to access the data for a specific key from Parameter Collector. Interface 25. Change the Sphere Y Loc. (the old Y Position) parameter value to 20.0. Because you’re at frame 0, no key is set. This is the same way Auto Key works normally. 26. Go to frame 20 and then set Sphere Y Loc. to 30.0.
Parameter Collector by right-clicking a numeric field in Parameter Collector. Toolbar modifying a value changes it to the exact amount you specify. When Relative is chosen, the displayed value is 0, and modifying the parameter adds the specified change to the original value. The actual value appears only in Absolute mode. This applies to numeric values only; any changes to other values, such as color, are always absolute.
142 Chapter 4: Object Properties Note: You can add several parameters at once by highlighting them in the dialog before clicking OK. Delete Selected—Deletes all selected parameters. Delete All—Deletes all parameters and rollouts. Rollouts Rollouts work the same way in Parameter Collector as they do on the command panel (page 1–12). You can expand and collapse a rollout by clicking its title bar, and move it to another location by dragging the title bar.
Parameter Collector Menu Bar Delete Collection—Removes the current collection from memory. Show Keys in Track Bar—Displays in the track bar (page 3–703) animation keys for all objects with parameters in the current collection, whether or not the objects are selected in the scene. Isolate Keys in Track Bar—The track bar displays only keys for parameters in the Parameter Collector. Show Selected Keys in Track Bar—Displays in the version of the collection stored in the object.
144 Chapter 4: Object Properties Multiple Edits—Enables multiple editing, in which changing any parameter simultaneously changes all selected parameters of the same or similar type. Key All—Sets keys (page 3–960) for all parameters Note: The changed parameter need not be selected. Key Selected—Sets keys (page 3–960) for selected parameters only at the current frame. Available only when Auto Key (page 3–717) is on.
Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) Notes Dialog (Parameter Collector) Interface Parameter Collector > Select one or more parameters. > Parameter Collector menu bar > Edit menu > Notes Parameter Collector > Right-click a Parameter Select button. The Notes dialog lets you enter a name, URL, and comments for one or more selected parameters in Parameter Collector. Choosing Notes from the Edit menu with multiple parameters selected opens a single dialog common to all selected parameters.
146 Chapter 4: Object Properties selected parameter. To access the link, click the Go button. Scene element Calculatable property Modifiers Go—If the URL text box contains a valid URL, clicking Go opens the URL in a separate browser window. Any numeric modifier parameter (including creation parameters) Materials Colors [R, G, B] Notes—Contains any comments on the parameters. Note: Expressions only work with the individual This field is strictly for informational purposes.
Expression Techniques Operators In the following tables, p and q are any scalar value or expression, V and W are any vector value or expression. (The character "x" is used as the vector cross-product operator.) Scalar Operators These are the arithmetic operators for scalar values: Tip: Logical operators are useful with the "if " function. Vector Operators For vectors that have a variable name, you can use a special component operator (.
148 Chapter 4: Object Properties Parentheses are a special case. They are a grouping or subexpression operator that is provided so you can override the precedence order of the other operators. Variable Name Meaning NT Normalized time. By definition, normalized time (NT) ranges from 0 to 1 over the active time segment, regardless of how many frames are in the segment. If you base an expression on NT, its effect happens exactly once over the range.
Expression Techniques To use a function in an expression, enter the name of the function and appropriate arguments to it. Rounding Functions Function Meaning Trigonometric Functions ceil(p) smallest integer greater than or equal to p The sine, cosine, and tangent functions take an angle in degrees and return a floating-point value. The arc functions take a floating-point value and return a value in degrees.
150 Chapter 4: Object Properties Note: The comp function is an alternative to the notation V.x, V.y, V.z. Special Animation Function Function Meaning noise(p,q,r) 3D noise: returns a randomly generated position The arbitrary values p, q and r, are used as a random-generation seed. You can reuse these values to ensure that noise() returns the same value.
Vectors applies to values of x restricted by –∏/2 ≤ X ≤ ∏/2. The graphs for these functions appear like the basic trigonometric function graphs, but turned on their sides. Graphs of basic arc functions The hyperbolic functions are based on the exponential constant e instead of on circular measurement. However, they behave similarly to the trigonometric functions and are named for them.
152 Chapter 4: Object Properties original two. Vector addition is commutative: V+W=W+V. Vector Length and Direction The length of a vector is obtained from the Pythagorean theorem. In 3ds Max expressions, the length() function returns this value. Adding two vectors The direction of the vector is the vector divided by its length; this gives you a unit vector with the same direction. Subtracting two vectors gives the vector between the two points.
Creating Geometry The solid 3D objects in the scene, and the objects used to create them, are known as geometry. Usually, geometry comprises the subject of your scene and the objects that you render. Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects This section describes the types of geometry you can create using the Create panel (page 3–757). This section provides an introduction to techniques for creating and modeling objects.
154 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Using the Modify Panel (page 1–499) Using the Modifier Stack (page 1–502) Editing the Stack (page 1–504) Modifying at the Sub-Object Level (page 1–506) Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level (page 1–508) Modifying Multiple Objects (page 1–509) How Instanced Modifiers Work (page 1–511) Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow (page 1–494) Varying the Parameters Unlike physical objects, with a fixed shape and size, you can change the creation parameters of objects and s
Identifying the Basic Building Blocks combination, depending on the object type. This is the general sequence: • Choose an object type. • Click or drag in a viewport to create an object of approximate size and location. • Adjust the object’s parameters and position, either immediately or later. See Creating an Object (page 1–157). Create Panel Interface Controls in the Create panel vary depending on the kind of object you are creating.
156 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Torus, Plane, Cone, GeoSphere, Tube, Teapot, and Pyramid. Extended Primitives—More complex 3D objects such as Capsule, OilTank, Spindle, Hedra, Torus Knot, and Prism. Compound Objects—Compound objects include Scatter, Connect, ShapeMerge, Booleans, Morph, BlobMesh, Terrain, and Loft. Booleans combine the geometry of two objects using union, intersection, and difference operations. Morphs are animated objects that change one geometric shape into other shapes over time.
Creating an Object longer need access to its creation parameters. For example, you can convert any standard primitive to an editable mesh (page 1–996), editable poly (page 1–1022), editable patch (page 1–968), or NURBS (page 1–1091) object, and you can convert a spline shape to an editable mesh, editable spline (page 1–289), or NURBS object. The easiest way to collapse an object is to select it, right-click it, and choose a "Convert to" option from the quad menu > Transform quadrant.
158 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry To choose an object type: • Click the button for the type of object you want to create. The button highlights, showing that it is active. Four rollouts appear: Name and Color, Creation Method, Keyboard Entry, and Parameters. To choose a creation method (optional): You can accept the default method and skip this step. • Choose a method in the Creation Method rollout.
Assigning Colors to Objects To end the creation process: While the object type button remains active, you can continue creating objects of the same type until you do one of the following: • Select an object other than the one you created most recently. • Transform an object. colors to assign to objects, it is available only through the Default palette. Note: The Layers functionality lets you organize your scene and can also be used for assigning object colors.
160 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Switching Between Palettes To define a custom color: You can alternate between two versions of the Object Color dialog at any time by clicking the appropriate Basic Colors toggle: 1. With the 3ds Max palette option active, click • 3ds Max palette: Contains a fixed palette of 64 colors, plus a custom palette of 16 user-defined custom colors. one of the 16 custom color swatches. 2. Click Add Custom Colors to display the Color Selector (page 1–161). 3.
Color Selector Dialog • AutoCAD ACI palette—When chosen, the AutoCAD ACI palette is shown. When you click a color, its ACI# is displayed at the bottom of the dialog. Basic Colors—A set of 64 default colors, available only when 3ds Max Palette is active. Custom Colors—Displays 16 custom colors when 3ds Max Palette is active. To choose a custom color, click its swatch. To define or change a custom color, click its swatch and then click Add Custom Colors.
162 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry The most prominently displayed and intuitive color model is the HBW model. This model represents a natural, pigment-based way of mixing color by starting with a pure color (hue) and then making it darker by adding black, or lighter by adding white. The main feature of the HBW model is a large square box displaying the color spectrum. Across the top of this box you have the spectrum of pure colors, or hue.
Color Selector Dialog To make a color darker, do one of the following: • Drag the vertical Whiteness slider (at the right of the Hue rainbow) upward. • Drag the vertical Blackness slider (at the left of the Hue rainbow) downward. • Drag the Saturation (Sat.) slider to the right. • Use the Saturation spinner to increase saturation. • Drag the Value slider to the left. • Use the Value spinner to decrease the value. To return to the original color: • Click Reset.
164 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Sample Screen Color—Lets you pick a new color from anywhere on the screen. After clicking this button, the mouse cursor changes to the eyedropper icon shown on the button. While this cursor appears, use any of these methods: • Click anywhere on the screen to replace the current color with the color of the pixel under the lower-right corner of the cursor. • Drag to continually update the current color with the color of the pixel under the lower-right corner of the cursor.
Color Clipboard Utility • An additional Alpha slider and spinner let you explicitly set the alpha value for this color. This value is also normalized, where 0.0 represents fully transparent, and 1.0 represents fully opaque. This version of the Color Selector also appears when you use the DirectX 9 Shader material (page 2–1613) and the mental ray renderer’s Sampling Quality rollout (page 3–98). Color Clipboard Utility 3. Select a color from any swatch in a material. 4.
166 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry See also Viewing and Changing Normals (page 1–166) Viewing and Changing Smoothing (page 1–167) Viewing and Changing Normals Close—Exits the Clipboard utility. When you create an object, normals (page 3–980) are generated automatically. Usually objects render correctly using these default normals. Sometimes, however, you need to adjust the normals. Adjusting Normals and Smoothing In general, you adjust normals and smoothing to prepare objects for rendering.
Viewing and Changing Smoothing • Apply a Normal modifier (page 1–746). If a Face sub-object selection is active, Normal applies to the selected faces. If no faces are selected, Normal applies to the entire object. • Apply an Edit Mesh modifier (page 1–634), enable Face, Polygon or Element sub-object mode, and then use the features on the Surface Properties rollout to change the directions in which normals point.
168 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Smoothing is controlled by smoothing groups, which are numbered groups ranging from 1 to 32. Each face is assigned to one or more smoothing groups. When a scene is rendered, the renderer checks each adjacent pair of faces to see if they share a smoothing group, and renders the object as follows: • If faces have no smoothing groups in common, the faces are rendered with a sharp edge between them.
Geometric Primitives Selecting Faces by Smoothing Group You can also select faces according to the assigned smoothing groups. Click Select By SG on the Surface Properties rollout (editable mesh) or Polygon Properties rollout (editable poly) and then click the smoothing group of the faces to select. This is a convenient way to examine smoothing groups on an object someone else created. See Object Name and Wireframe Color (page 3–757).
170 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Standard Primitives Geometric primitives are familiar as objects in the real world such as beach balls, pipes, boxes, doughnuts, and ice cream cones. In 3ds Max, you can model many such objects using a single primitive. You can also combine primitives into more complex objects, and further refine them with modifiers. The Keyboard Entry rollout contains a common set of position fields, labeled X, Y, and Z.
Box Primitive Sphere Primitive (page 1–174) GeoSphere Primitive (page 1–176) kinds of rectangular objects, from large, flat panels and slabs to tall columns and small blocks. Cylinder Primitive (page 1–177) Tube Primitive (page 1–179) Torus Primitive (page 1–180) Pyramid Primitive (page 1–182) Teapot Primitive (page 1–183) Plane Primitive (page 1–185) Also available from the Object Type rollout is the AutoGrid option (page 2–7).
172 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Creation Method rollout Cube—Forces length, width, and height to be equal. Creating a cube is a one-step operation. Starting at the center of the cube, drag in a viewport to set all three dimensions simultaneously. You can change a cube’s individual dimensions in the Parameters rollout. Box—Creates a standard box primitive from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner, with different settings for length, width, and height.
Cone Primitive 2. In any viewport, drag to define a radius for the base of the cone, then release to set it. 3. Move to up or down to define a height, either positive or negative, then click to set it. 4. Move to define a radius for the other end of the cone. Decrease this radius to 0 for a pointed cone. 5. Click to set the second radius and create the cone. Interface Creation Method rollout Edge—Draws a cone from edge to edge. You can change the center location by moving the mouse.
174 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Smooth—Blends the faces of the cone, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views. Slice On—Enables the Slice function. Default=off. When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete cone reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two topologies. Slice From, Slice To—Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from a zero point at the local X axis.
Sphere Primitive Parameters rollout Squash—Maintains the number of vertices and faces in the original sphere, "squashing" the geometry into a smaller and smaller volume toward the top of the sphere. Effects of Chop and Squash during hemisphere creation Slice On—Uses the From and To angles to create a partial sphere. The effect is similar to lathing a semicircular shape fewer than 360 degrees. Slice From—Sets the start angle. Slice To—Sets the stop angle.
176 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Examples of geospheres Effect of using Base To Pivot setting Generate Mapping Coords—Generates coordinates for applying mapped materials to the sphere. Default=on. Real-World Map Size—Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material’s Coordinates rollout (page 2–1625). Default=off.
Cylinder Primitive Interface Creation Method rollout Diameter—Draws a geosphere from edge to edge. You can change the center location by moving the mouse. Center—Draws a geosphere from the center out. Parameters rollout size. The sphere can be divided into eight equal segments. • Icosa—Based on a 20-sided icosahedron. The facets are all equally sized equilateral triangles. The sphere can be divided into any number of equal segments, based on multiples and divisions of 20 faces.
178 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Parameters rollout Examples of cylinders Procedure To create a cylinder: 1. On the Create panel, choose Standard Primitives > Cylinder. Interface The defaults produce a smooth cylinder of 18 sides with the pivot point at the center of the base. There are five height segments and one cap segment. If you don’t plan to modify the cylinder’s shape, such as with a Bend modifier, set Height Segments to 1 to reduce scene complexity.
Tube Primitive Smooth—The faces of the cylinder are blended together, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views. Slice On—Enables the Slice function. Default=off. When you create a slice and then turn off Slice On, the complete cylinder reappears. You can use this check box to switch between the two topologies. Slice From, Slice To—Sets the number of degrees around the local Z axis from a zero point at the local X axis.
180 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Parameters rollout Sides—Sets the number of sides around the tube. Higher numbers shade and render as true circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal objects with Smooth off. Smooth—When on (the default), faces of the tube are blended together, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views. Slice On—Enables the Slice feature, which removes part of the tube’s circumference. Default=off.
Torus Primitive rotation and twist settings to create complex variations. Parameters rollout Examples of tori Procedure To create a torus: 1. From the Create menu, choose Standard Primitives > Torus. 2. In any viewport, drag to define a torus. 3. As you drag, a torus emerges with its center at the pivot point. 4. Release to set the radius of the torus ring. 5. Move to define the radius of the cross-sectional circle, then click to create the torus.
182 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • Sides—Smoothes the edges between adjacent segments, producing smooth bands running around the torus. • None—Turns off smoothing entirely, producing prism-like facets on the torus. Radius 1 and Radius 2 Rotation—Sets the degree of rotation. Vertices are uniformly rotated about the circle running through the center of the torus ring. Positive and negative values for this setting "roll" the vertices in either direction over the surface of the torus.
Teapot Primitive Parameters rollout Examples of pyramids Procedure To create a Pyramid: 1. On the Create menu choose Standard Primitives > Pyramid. 2. Choose a creation method, either Base/Apex or Center. Note: Hold the Ctrl key while using either creation method to constrain the base to a square. 3. In any viewport, drag to define the base of the pyramid.
184 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry you can choose which parts of the teapot to display after creation. To create a teapot part: 1. In Parameters rollout > Teapot Parts group, turn off all parts except the one you want to create. 2. Create a teapot. The part you left on appears. The pivot point remains at the center of the teapot’s base. 3. In Parameters rollout > Teapot Parts group, turn off all parts except the one you want.
Plane Primitive Parameters rollout Plane Primitive Create panel > Geometry button > Standard Primitives > Object Type rollout > Plane button Create menu > Standard Primitives > Plane The Plane object is a special type of flat polygon mesh that can be enlarged by any amount at render time. You can specify factors to magnify the size or number of segments, or both. Use the Plane object for creating a large-scale ground plane that doesn’t get in the way when working in a viewport.
186 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry interactively setting different values for length and width. Square—Creates a square plane where length and width are equal. You can change dimensions in the Parameters rollout subsequent to creation. Parameters rollout Render Segs—Specifies the factor by which the number of segments in both length and width are multiplied at render time. Generate Mapping Coords—Generates coordinates for applying mapped materials to the plane. Default=on.
Hedra Extended Primitive Hedra Extended Primitive Create panel > Geometry button > Extended Primitives > Object Type rollout > Hedra button Create menu > Extended Primitives > Hedra Use Hedra to produce objects from several families of polyhedra.
188 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Dodec/Icos—Creates a dodecahedron or icosahedron (depending on parameter settings). Star1/Star2—Creates two different star-like polyhedra. Tip: You can animate between Hedra types. Turn on the Auto Key button, go to any frame, and change the Family check box. There is no interpolation between types; the model simply jumps from a star to a cube or tetrahedron, and so on.
Torus Knot Extended Primitive have the effect of pushing their corresponding facets in and out. Defaults=100. Torus Knot Extended Primitive Reset—Returns axes to their default setting. Create panel > Geometry > Extended Primitives > Object Type rollout > Torus Knot button Vertices group Create menu > Extended Primitives > Torus Knot Parameters in the Vertices group determine the internal geometry of each facet of a polyhedron.
190 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Parameters rollout > Cross Section group Creation Method rollout Diameter—Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location by moving the mouse. Radius—Draws the object from the center out. Parameters rollout > Base Curve group Provides parameters that affect the cross section of the torus knot. Radius—Sets the radius of the cross section. Sides—Sets the number of sides around the cross section.
ChamferBox Extended Primitive Provides options to alter the smoothing displayed or rendered of the torus knot. This smoothing does not displace or tesselate the geometry, it only adds the smoothing group information. All—Smoothes the entire torus knot. Sides—Smoothes only the adjacent sides of the torus knot. None—The torus knot is faceted. Parameters rollout > Mapping Coordinates group Examples of chamfered boxes Procedures To create a standard chamfered box: 1.
192 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Creation Method rollout Cube—Forces length, width, and height to be equal. You can change a cube’s individual dimensions in the Parameters rollout. Box—Creates a standard chamfered box primitive from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner, with individual settings for length, width, and height. Parameters rollout Smooth—Blends the display of the faces of the chamfered box, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views.
ChamferCyl Extended Primitive 2. Drag the mouse to define the radius of the base of the chamfered cylinder. 3. Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define the height of the cylinder. Click to set the height. 4. Move the mouse diagonally to define the width of the fillet, or chamfer (toward the upper left increases the width; toward the lower right decreases it). 5. Click to finish the cylinder. Interface Creation Method rollout Edge—Draws the object from edge to edge.
194 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Generate Mapping Coords—Generates coordinates for applying mapped materials to the chamfered cylinder. Default=on. Real-World Map Size—Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material’s Coordinates rollout (page 2–1625). Default=off.
Capsule Extended Primitive The maximum value is the Radius setting, unless the absolute value of the Height setting is less than the double Radius setting, in which case cap height cannot exceed ½ of the absolute value of the Height setting. Overall/Centers—Determines what the Height value specifies. Overall is the overall height of the object. Centers is the height of the midsection of the cylinder, not including its convex caps. Blend—When greater than 0, creates a bevel at the edge of the caps.
196 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Height Segs—Sets the number of divisions along Creation Method rollout the capsule’s major axis. Edge—Draws the object from edge to edge. You Smooth—Blends the faces of the capsule, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views. can change the center location by moving the mouse. Center—Draws the object from the center out. Parameters rollout Slice On—Turns on the Slice function. Default=off.
Spindle Extended Primitive Parameters rollout Examples of spindles Procedure To create a spindle: 1. From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives > Spindle. 2. Drag the mouse to define the radius of the base of the spindle. 3. Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to define the height of the spindle. Click to set the height. 4.
198 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry circles with Smooth on. Lower numbers create regular polygonal objects with Smooth off. Cap Segs—Sets the number of concentric divisions along the center of the spindle’s top and bottom. Height Segs—Sets the number of divisions along the spindle’s major axis. Smooth—Blends the faces of the spindle, creating a smooth appearance in rendered views. Slice On—Turns on the Slice function. Default=off.
Gengon Extended Primitive Parameters rollout the applied material’s Coordinates rollout (page 2–1625). Default=off. Gengon Extended Primitive Create panel > Geometry button > Extended Primitives > Object Type rollout > Gengon button Create menu > Extended Primitives > Gengon Use Gengon to create an extruded, regular-sided polygon with optionally filleted side edges. Side/Front Length—Specify the lengths of each "leg" of the L. Side/Front Width—Specify the widths of each "leg" of the L.
200 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 6. Click to finish the gengon. Tip: In the Parameters rollout, increase the Fillet Segs spinner to round the chamfered corners into fillets. Interface Creation Method rollout Edge—Draws the object from edge to edge. You can change the center location by moving the mouse. Center—Draws the object from the center out. Parameters rollout Side Segs—Sets the number of divisions around the gengon. Height Segs—Sets the number of divisions along the gengon’s major axis.
C-Ext Extended Primitive Procedure Parameters rollout To create a C-Ext object: 1. From the Create menu, choose Extended Primitives > C-Extrusion. 2. Drag the mouse to define the base. (Press Ctrl to constrain the base to a square.) 3. Release the mouse and move it vertically to define the height of the C-extrusion. 4. Click, and then move the mouse vertically to define the thickness or width of the walls of the C-extrusion. 5. Click to finish the C-extrusion.
202 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Generate Mapping Coords—Sets up the required coordinates for applying mapped materials to the object. Default=on. Real-World Map Size—Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped materials that are applied to the object. The scaling values are controlled by the Use Real-World Scale settings found in the applied material’s Coordinates rollout (page 2–1625). Default=off.
RingWave Extended Primitive Interface RingWave Size group Parameters rollout Use these settings to change the ringwave’s basic parameters. Radius—Sets the outside radius of the ringwave. Radial Segs—Sets the segment count between the inner and outer surfaces in the direction of the radius. Ring Width—Sets the mean ring width as measured inward from the outer radius. Sides—Sets the number of segments in the circumferential direction for both the inner, outer, and end (cap) surfaces.
204 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Start Time—The frame number where the ringwave appears, and begins to grow if you choose Grow and Stay or Cyclic Growth. Grow Time—The number of frames after Start Time the ringwave takes to reach full size. Grow Time is available only if Grow and Stay or Cyclic Growth is chosen. End Time—The frame number after which the ringwave disappears. Inner Edge Breakup group Use these settings to change the shape of the ringwave’s inner edge.
Prism Extended Primitive Smooth—Applies smoothing to the object by setting all polygons to smoothing group 1. Default=on. To create a prism with a scalene or obtuse triangle at its base: 1. Choose Base/Apex in the Creation Method rollout. Prism Extended Primitive Create panel > Geometry button > Extended Primitives > Object Type rollout > Prism button Create menu > Extended Primitives > Prism Use Prism to create a three-sided prism with independently segmented sides. 2.
206 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Side (n) Length—Sets the length of triangle’s Procedures corresponding side (and thus the triangle’s corner angles). To create a hose: Height—Sets the dimension of the prism’s central axis. 1. From the menu bar, choose Create > Extended Primitives > Hose. 2. Drag the mouse to define the radius of the hose. Side (n) Segs—Specifies the number of segments for each side of the prism. 3.
Hose Extended Primitive Bound to Object Pivots—Choose this when binding the hose to two objects, using the buttons in the Binding Objects group. Hose Parameters rollout > Binding Objects group the bend occur further away from the Top object. Default=100. Bottom (label)—Displays the name of the "bottom" binding object. Pick Bottom Object—Click this button and then select the "bottom" object. Tension—Determines the tension of the hose curve near the Bottom object as it reaches for the Top object.
208 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Hose Parameters rollout > Common Hose Parameters group enough to support the number of cycles, then not all cycles will appear. Default=5. Tip: To set the appropriate number of segments, first set Cycles, and then increase Segments until the number of visible cycles stops changing. Diameter—The relative width of the "outside" parts of the cycles. At negative settings, these are smaller than the overall hose diameter.
Architectural Objects Hose Parameters rollout > Hose Shape group Fillet—The amount by which the cross-section corners are rounded. For this to be visible, Fillet Segs must be set to 1 or higher. Default=0. Fillet Segs—The number of segments across each filleted corner. A Fillet Segs setting of 1 cuts the corner straight across; use higher settings for rounded corners. Default=0. Rotation—The orientation of the hose along its long axis. Default=0.
210 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Doors (page 1–246) Windows (page 1–253) This section provides general information about these features.
Working with AEC Design Elements 3. After clicking Window or Door, choose one of two Creation Methods: Width/Depth/Height or Width/Height/Depth. 4. Make parameter adjustments to define details. The width and orientation of the door/window is always defined by the first mouse click and subsequent mouse drag. Depending on the creation method you use, either the height or depth of the object is defined next.
212 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry automatically updates to follow the changes you make. Rail paths can occupy three-dimensional space. When you create the lower rails, posts, and fencing components of a Railing object, you use a special version of the Spacing Tool to specify the spacing of those components. The program displays the Spacing Tool dialog for each railing component: Lower Rail, Post Spacing, or Picket Spacing. For more information on the Spacing Tool, see Spacing Tool (page 1–455).
Working with AEC Design Elements This creates a wall segment. You can end the wall or you can continue to create another wall segment. 4. To complete the wall, right-click, or to add another wall segment, drag the next wall segment to the length you want and click again. If you create a room by ending a segment at the end of another segment of the same wall object, the program displays the Weld Point dialog.
214 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Foliage Create panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Foliage button Create menu > AEC Objects > Foliage Tips • Use the Spacing tool (page 1–455) to place plants along a path. • Use vertex or face snapping (see Snaps Settings (page 2–41)) to position plants on a surface. Foliage produces various types of plant objects such tree species. 3ds Max generates mesh representations to create fast, efficient, and good-looking plants.
Foliage information, see Object Name and Wireframe Color (page 3–757). When Favorite Plants rollout > Automatic Materials is on, each plant is assigned its own default material. For more information, see Favorite Plants rollout, following. Keyboard Entry rollout See Creating Primitives from the Keyboard (page 1–169). Favorite Plants rollout • Click the icon in the Favorite Plants list and then click a location in a viewport. Double-click the icon to place the plant at the world origin.
216 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry entry switches between "no" and "yes." Click OK to accept the changes and exit the window. Parameters rollout Two trees with varying foliage densities Pruning—Applies only to plants with branches. Removes branches that lie below an invisible plane parallel to the construction plane. A value of 0 prunes nothing, a value of .5 prunes the plant at a plane halfway up its height from the construction plane, and a value of 1 prunes everything possible from the plant.
Railing Show group Controls the display of leaves, fruit, flowers, trunk, branches, and roots of plants. Available options depend on the type of plant you select. For example, if a plant doesn’t have fruit, 3ds Max disables that option. Turning off options reduces the number of vertices and faces displayed. Viewport Canopy Mode group Level-of-Detail group Controls how 3ds Max renders the plant. For information on how 3ds Max displays the plant in the viewports, see Viewport Canopy Mode (page 1–217).
218 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Material ID Railing/Material Component 1 Lower rails 2 Posts of the railing 3 Solid fill of the railing 4 Top of the railing 5 Pickets of the railing Note: 3ds Max does not automatically assign a material to the railing object. To use the included material, open the library and then assign the material to your object. Railings used to create fences in a field.
Railing 2. Specify the depth and width for the lower rails and then click the Lower Rail(s) > Spacing button. 3. Specify the number of lower rails you want using the Count option. Click Close to apply your changes. For more information on spacing options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool (page 1–455). To create posts: 1. If you want to modify the posts, or add more, choose an option from the Profile list under the Posts rollout. 2.
220 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Railing rollout Note: Railing objects that use Pick Path do not stay on the path when substituted using the Substitute modifier. Substituted externally referenced railings do not undo when railings are associated with a path. Segments—Sets the number of segments of the railing object. Available only when you’re using a railing path. For a close approximation to a railing path, increase the number of segments.
Railing Width—Sets the width of the top rail. Height—Sets the height of the top rail. During creation, you can drag the top rail to the height you want using the mouse in the viewport. Or you can enter the height amount from the keyboard or use the spinners. Lower Rail(s) group Controls the profile, depth, width, and spacing between the lower rails. You specify how many lower rails you want using the Lower Rail Spacing button.
222 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Tip: Setting Profile to (none) makes an "invisible" post. You might want to do this to create a railing with gaps between solid fill fencing. Or you could use it to make a railing with openings between groups of pickets. This is different from setting the post count to 0 in the Post Spacing dialog. Fencing rollout 1. A railing with pickets using a square profile 2. A railing with pickets using a round profile Profile—Sets the cross-section shape of the pickets.
Wall Wall Create panel > Geometry > AEC Extended > Object Type rollout > Wall button Create menu > AEC Objects > Wall The Wall object is made up of three sub-object types that you can edit in the Modify panel. Similarly to the way you edit splines, you can edit the wall object (page 1–228), its vertices (page 1–228), its segments (page 1–229), and its profile (page 1–230). When you create two wall segments that meet at a corner, 3ds Max removes any duplicate geometry.
224 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry movement and editing, you might consider using multiple walls instead of a single wall. • You can speed up performance in a scene with many walls, windows and doors by collapsing them. First save an uncollapsed version for any future parametric changes you might want to make. Then double-click the wall to select it and its children. Next use Convert To from the right-click menu to convert them to an editable mesh, and so on.
Wall 2. In the modifier stack (page 3–760), go to the Vertex sub-object level. 3. Click Insert. A highlighted line appears along the bottom of the wall, showing where you can insert vertices. 4. Click anywhere on the highlighted line to insert a vertex. The new vertex is attached to the mouse cursor. 5. Move the mouse to position the vertex, and then click to place it. Now the mouse is attached to one of the new segments. 6. Move the mouse along the segment and click to add vertices. 7.
226 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry designed for use with walls. You can copy or copy and modify this template, or create your own material as follows: 1.
Wall Interface Note: If you designate a curved spline as the Keyboard Entry rollout path, 3ds Max creates straight wall segments that approximate the spline as closely as possible, with one wall segment per spline segment. Parameters rollout X—Sets the coordinate position along the X axis for the start point of a wall segment in the active construction plane. Y—Sets the coordinate position along the Y axis for the start point of a wall segment in the active construction plane.
228 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Right—Justifies the wall at the right edge of its Justification group baseline. If you turn Grid Snap on, the right edge of the wall’s baseline snaps to the grid line. See Justification (page 1–227). Generate Mapping Coords—Assigns mapping coordinates (page 3–967) to the wall. Default=on. Real-World Map Size—Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped materials that are applied to the object.
Editing Wall Objects become disconnected, and each has its own end vertex at the position of the previously shared vertex. Refine—Adds a vertex to the position along a wall segment that you click. When you move the cursor over a valid Refine point, the mouse icon changes to a Refine icon. Insert—Inserts one or more vertices, creating additional segments. When you move the cursor over the a valid Insert point, the mouse icon changes to an Insert icon. Right-click to stop inserting new vertices and segments.
230 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Divide—Subdivides each segment by the number of vertices specified in the Divisions spinner. Select one or more segments, set the Divisions spinner, and then click Divide. can insert and delete vertices along the horizontal edges, move an inserted vertex along the grid to change the profile, create gables, and change the grid properties. Divisions—Sets the number by which to divide the segment.
Stairs Grid Properties group Material ID Railing/Material Component The grid constricts profile point insertion and movement to the plane of the wall and allows you to snap to grid points on the plane of the wall. 4 Center pole of the stairs 5 Handrails of the stairs 6 Carriage of the stairs Width—Sets the width of the active grid. 7 Stringers of the stairs Length—Sets the length of the active grid. Spacing—Sets the size of the smallest square in the active grid.
232 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Object Type rollout 3. Adjust the stairs by using the options in the Parameters rollout. Interface Parameters rollout > Type group Stair Selection Buttons—Click one of these to specify the type of stairs you want to create. Name and Color rollout Open—Creates an open riser stair, as shown on the left in the illustration above. This rollout lets you set the stairs object’s name and color.
L-Type Stair handrails’ height, offset, number of segments, and radius. the spinner values of the parameter with the raised push pins to change. Rail Path—Creates left and right paths you can use Overall—Controls the height of the flight of stairs. to install railings on the stairs. See Stairs (page 1–231) for the instructions on how to do this. Riser Ht—Controls the height of the risers. Riser Ct—Controls the number of risers. There will Layout group always be one more riser than steps.
234 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Depth—Controls the depth of the steps. Width—Controls the width of the stringers. Offset—Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor. Step depth variance between two stairs Generate Mapping Coords—Applies default Spring from Floor—Controls whether the stringer starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You control the amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option.
Spiral Stair information on spacing options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool (page 1–455). Spring from Floor—Controls whether the carriage starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the carriage extends below the floor. You control the amount the carriage extends below the floor with the Offset option. Radius—Controls the thickness of the railings.
236 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Closed—Creates a closed riser stair, as shown in the center of the illustration above. Layout group Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed stringers on both sides, as shown on the right of the illustration above. Generate Geometry group CCW—Orients the spiral stairs to be a right-hand flight of stairs. CW—Orients the spiral stairs to be a left-hand flight of stairs. Stringers—Creates stringers along the ends of the treads of the stairs.
Spiral Stair allows the spinner values of the parameter with the raised pushpins to change. Overall—Controls the height of the flight of stairs. Riser Ht—Controls the height of the risers. Riser Ct—Controls the number of risers. There will Step thickness variance between two stairs always be one more riser than steps. This implied riser is between the top step of the stair and the upper floor. Depth—Controls the depth of the steps.
238 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Depth—Controls how far down the stringers reach toward the floor. Width—Controls the width of the stringers. Offset—Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor. Spring from Floor—Controls whether the stringer starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You control the amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option.
Straight Stair Radius—Controls the radius size of the center pole. Segments—Controls the number of segments in the center pole. Higher values display a smoother pole. Height—Controls the height of the railings from Height—The spinner controls the height of the ends of the steps. center pole. Turning on Height lets you adjust the height of the pole independently of the stairs. Turning off Height makes the spinner unavailable and locks the top of the pole to the top of the implied last riser.
240 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Procedures To create straight stairs: 1. In any viewport, drag to set the length. Release the mouse button, then move the cursor and click to set the width you want. 2. Move the cursor up or down to define the rise of the stairs, and click to end. 3. Adjust the stairs with the options in the Parameters rollout.
Straight Stair Riser Ct—Controls the number of risers. There will always be one more riser than steps. This implied riser is between the top step of the stair and the upper floor. Step depth variance between two stairs Generate Mapping Coords—Applies default mapping coordinates (page 3–967) to the stairs. Note: If a visible viewport is set to a non-wireframe Linear stair with five risers 1 through 4. Risers 5. The implied riser 6. The upper floor you snap to 7. The lower floor you snap to 8. The steps.
242 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Offset—Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor. Spring from Floor—Controls whether the stringer information on spacing options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool (page 1–455). starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You control the amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option.
U-Type Stair Radius—Controls the thickness of the railings. U-Type Stair Open—Creates an open riser stair as shown on the left in the illustration above. Closed—Creates a closed riser stair as shown in the center in the illustration above. Create panel > Geometry > Stairs > U-Type Stair button Box—Creates a stair with closed risers and closed Create menu > AEC Objects > U-Type Stair stringers on both sides as shown on the right in the illustration above.
244 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Layout group Riser Ct—Controls the number of risers. There will always be one more riser than steps. This implied riser is between the top step of the stair and the upper floor. Left/Right—Controls the position of the two flights (Length 1 and Length 2) relative to each other. If you select left, then the second flight is on the left from the landing. If you select right, then the second flight is the right from the landing.
U-Type Stair Offset—Controls the vertical distance of the stringers from the floor. Step depth variance between two stairs Generate Mapping Coords—Applies default Spring from Floor—Controls whether the stringer starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the stringer extends below the floor. You control the amount the stringer extends below the floor with the Offset option. mapping coordinates (page 3–967) to the stairs.
246 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry information on spacing options in this dialog, see Spacing Tool (page 1–455). Spring from Floor—Controls whether the carriage starts at the floor, flush with the start of the first riser, or if the carriage extends below the floor. You control the amount the carriage extends below the floor with the Offset option. Radius—Controls the thickness of the railings. Doors Create panel > Geometry > Doors Create menu > AEC Objects Left: The carriage springing from the floor.
Doors Doors and Materials By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to doors. The aectemplates.mat material library includes Door-Template, a multi/sub-object material designed to be used with doors. Each component of the door/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID. Material ID Door/Material Component 1 Front 2 Back 3 Inner Bevel (used for glazing when Panels set to Glass or Beveled).
248 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 7. Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material. of door to make a set of double doors. See BiFold Door (page 1–252). To animate a door: Name and Color rollout You can animate a door opening and closing by keyframing the Open setting. See Object Name and Wireframe Color (page 3–757). 1. Create a door or select an existing door. If using an existing door, also access the Modify panel. Creation Method rollout 2.
Doors Note: With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the first three points. Thus, if you draw the door in the Top or Perspective viewport, the door lies flat on the active grid. Allow Non-vertical Jambs—Lets you create tilted doors. Set snaps (page 2–35) to define points off the construction plane. Default=off. Parameters rollout Frame group This rollout has controls for the door-jamb frame. Though part of the door object, the frame behaves as if it were part of the wall.
250 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Leaf Parameters rollout Bottom Rail—Sets the width of the panel framing at the base of the door. This setting is apparent only if the door is paneled. # Panels Horiz.—Sets the number of panel divisions along the horizontal axis. # Panels Vert.—Sets the number of panel divisions along the vertical axis. Muntin—Sets the width of the separations between the panels. Panels group Determines how panels are created in the door. None—The door has no paneling.
Pivot Door Pivot Door Interface Parameters rollout Create panel > Geometry > Doors > Pivot button Create menu > AEC Objects > Pivot Door The Pivot door is hinged on one side only. You can also make the door a double door, with two door elements, each hinged on its outer edge. Single and double pivot doors This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Pivot door. Most door parameters are common to all kinds of doors; see Doors (page 1–246).
252 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Flip Side— Changes the current sliding element to the stationary element, and vice versa. BiFold Door Create panel > Geometry > Doors > BiFold button Create menu > AEC Objects > BiFold Door Sliding doors with different numbers of panels The BiFold door is hinged in the middle as well as on the side. It has two door elements. You can also make the door a double door, with four door elements. This topic describes only controls and behavior unique to the Sliding door.
Windows Interface Parameters rollout Windows Create panel > Geometry > Windows Create menu > AEC Objects The window object lets you control details of a window’s appearance. You can also set the window to be open, partially open, or closed, and you can animate the opening over time. The Parameters rollout contains three check boxes specific to BiFold doors.
254 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Windows and Materials By default, 3ds Max assigns five different material IDs to windows. The aectemplates.mat material library includes Window-Template, a multi/sub-object material designed to be used with windows. Each component of the window/material is listed below along with its corresponding Material ID.
Windows 7. Edit the material as you would any Multi/Sub-Object material. To animate a window: You can animate a window opening and closing by keyframing the Open setting. 1. Create a window or select an existing window. 2. If using an existing window, also access the Modify panel. 3. Set the Parameters rollout > Open parameter to the amount you want the window to be open at the start of the animation. If you want it to be closed, set it to 0. 4.
256 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Note: With this method, the depth is perpendicular to the plane set by the first three points. Thus, if you draw the window in the Top or Perspective viewport, the door lies flat on the active grid. Vert. Width—Sets the width of the vertical part of the window frame (at the sides). This setting also affects the glazed portion of the window’s height.
Casement Window Interface Parameters rollout Casement Window Create panel > Geometry > Windows > Casement button Create menu > AEC Objects > Casement Window The Casement window has one or two sashes that are hinged on the side, like a door. Casement window The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior. Some window parameters are common to all kinds of windows; see Windows (page 1–253). Rails and Panels group Width—Sets the width (depth) of the rails in the sashes.
258 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Open Window group Parameters rollout Open—Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is animatable. Flip Swing—Turn this on to have the sashes open in the opposite direction. Fixed Window Create panel > Geometry > Windows > Fixed button Create menu > AEC Objects > Fixed Window Fixed windows do not open, thus have no Open Window control.
Pivoted Window Interface window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have a rectangular profile. Pivoted Window Create panel > Geometry > Windows > Pivoted button Create menu > AEC Objects > Pivoted Window A pivoted window has one sash only, hinged midway through the side of the sash. It can swing open either vertically or horizontally. Parameters rollout The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
260 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Open Window group Parameters rollout Open—Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is animatable. Projected Window Create panel > Geometry > Windows > Projected button Create menu > AEC Objects > Projected Window Projected windows have three sashes: The top sash doesn’t move, while the bottom two sashes swing open like awning windows, but in opposite directions.
Sliding Window Interface Open Window group Parameters rollout Open—Specifies the percent that the two movable sashes are open. This control is animatable. Sliding Window Create panel > Geometry > Windows > Sliding button Create menu > AEC Objects > Sliding Window Sliding windows have two sashes: one fixed, one movable. The sliding part can move either vertically or horizontally. Sliding windows The topic for each kind of window describes its unique controls and behavior.
262 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Chamfered Profile—Chamfers the rails between Parameters rollout the glazed panels, as in a conventional wooden window. When Chamfered Profile is off, the rails have a rectangular profile. Open Window group Hung—When on, the window slides vertically. When off, the window slides horizontally. Open— Specifies the percent that the window is open. This control is animatable.
Shapes can quickly create these shapes using mouse or keyboard entry and combine them to form compound shapes. See Splines (page 1–266) for information about the methods and parameters used to create these shapes. Creating Shapes To access the shape creation tools, go to the Create panel and click the Shapes button. You’ll find the standard shapes under Splines in the category list, and Point Curve and CV Curve under NURBS Curves. As you add plug-ins, other shape categories might appear in this list.
264 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry When Enable in Renderer is on, the shape is rendered using a circle as a cross section. Mapping coordinates are generated with U mapped once around the perimeter, and V mapped once along the length. The software provides more control over renderable shapes; viewports, including wireframe viewports, can display the geometry of renderable shapes. The rendering parameters for shapes appear in their own rollout.
Shape Check Utility • You can use a Path constraint (page 2–398) to use a shape to control object motion. • You can convert a shape into position keys using the Motion panel > Trajectories > Convert From function (see Trajectories (page 2–301)).
266 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Donut Spline (page 1–276) NGon Spline (page 1–277) Star Spline (page 1–277) Text Spline (page 1–278) Helix Spline (page 1–281) Section Spline (page 1–282) Extended Splines include the following object types: WRectangle Spline (page 1–284) Intersection points highlighted by Shape Check Channel Spline (page 1–285) Interface Pick Object—Click this button, and then click the shape for the utility to check. You can pick only spline- and NURBS-based shapes and curves.
Splines and Extended Splines • You can go back and change the parameters of a shape containing a single spline after the shape is created. • You can create a compound shape by adding splines to a shape: Select the shape, turn off Start New Shape, and then create more splines. • You cannot change the parameters of a compound shape. For example, create a compound shape by creating a circle and then adding an arc. Once you create the arc, you cannot change the circle parameters.
268 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry You can animate render parameters, such as the number of sides, but you cannot animate the Viewport settings. You can convert the displayed mesh into a mesh object by applying an Edit Mesh or Edit Poly modifier or converting to an editable mesh or editable poly object. If Enable In Viewport is off when converting, closed shapes will be “filled in” and open shapes will contain only vertices; no edges or faces.
Splines and Extended Splines Length—Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local Y axis. Width—Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis. Angle—Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or renderer. For example, if you have a square cross-section you can use Angle to position a "flat" side down. Aspect—Sets the aspect ratio for rectangular cross-sections. The Lock check box lets you lock the aspect ratio.
270 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Many spline tools use the Creation Methods rollout. On this rollout you choose to define splines by either their center point or their diagonal. Edge—Your first click defines a point on the side or at a corner of the shape and you drag a diameter or the diagonal corner. Center—Your first click defines the center of the shape and you drag a radius or corner point.
Line Spline • Click the first vertex and click Yes in the "Close spline?" dialog to create a closed spline. To create a line using rectilinear and angle-snap options: These two options aid in creating regular shapes: • While creating a spline with the mouse, press and hold Shift to constrain new points to 90-degree-angle increments from previous points. Use the default Initial type setting of Corner and click all subsequent points to create fully rectilinear shapes.
272 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Corner—Produces a sharp point. The spline is linear to either side of the vertex. Smooth—Produces a smooth, nonadjustable curve Close—Closes the shape, adding a final spline segment between the most recent vertex and the first. through the vertex. The amount of curvature is set by the spacing of the vertices. Finish—Finishes the spline without closing it. Drag Type group Rectangle Spline Sets the type of vertex you create when you drag a vertex location.
Circle Spline Creation Method rollout The Rectangle shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines (page 1–266) for an explanation of these parameters. Parameters rollout Example of circle Procedure Once you have created a rectangle, you can make changes using the following parameters: To create a circle: Length—Specifies the size of the rectangle along 1. the local Y axis.
274 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Once you have created a circle, you can make changes using the following parameter: Radius—Specifies the radius of the circle. Ellipse Spline Create panel > Shapes > Splines > Object Type rollout > Ellipse Creation Method rollout The Ellipse shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. See Splines (page 1–266) for an explanation of these parameters.
Arc Spline Creation Method rollout These options determine the sequence of mouse clicks involved in the creation of the arc. End-End-Middle—Drag and release to set the two Creating an arc using the End-End-Middle creation method endpoints of the arc, and then click to specify the third point between the two endpoints. To create an arc using the center-end-end method: Center-End-End—Press the mouse button to specify Go to the Create panel and choose 1. Shapes. 2. Click Arc.
276 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 3. Choose a creation method. 4. Drag and release the mouse button to define the first donut circle. 5. Move the mouse and then click to define the Closed pie slice arcs radius of the second concentric donut circle. Reverse—When on, the direction of the arc spline is reversed, and the first vertex is placed at the opposite end of an open arc. As long as the shape remains an original shape (and not an editable spline), you can switch its direction by toggling Reverse.
NGon Spline NGon Spline Parameters rollout Create panel > Shapes > Splines > Object Type rollout > NGon Create menu > Shapes > NGon Use NGon to create closed flat-sided or circular splines with any number (N) of sides or vertices. Once you have created an NGon, you can make changes using the following parameters: Radius—Specifies the NGon radius.
278 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Radius 1—Specifies the radius of the inner vertices (the valley) of the star. Radius 2—Specifies the radius of the outer vertices (the points) of the star. Points—Specifies the number of points on the star. Range=3 to 100. Examples of stars A star has twice as many vertices as the specified number of points. Half the vertices lie on one radius, forming points, and the remaining vertices lie on the other radius, forming valleys.
Text Spline • Click in a viewport to place the text in the scene. • Drag the text into position and release the mouse button. To enter a special Windows character: 1. Hold down the Alt key. 2. Enter the character’s numeric value on the numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad, not the row of numbers above the alphabetic keys. Examples of text You can edit the text in the Create panel, or later in the Modify panel. Using Text Shapes For some characters, you must enter a leading zero.
280 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Parameters rollout Align Right—Aligns text to the right side of its bounding box. Justify—Spaces all lines of text to fill the extents of the bounding box. Note: The four text-alignment buttons require multiple lines of text for effect because they act on the text in relation to its bounding box. If there’s only one line of text, it’s the same size as its bounding box. Size—Sets the text height where the height measuring method is defined by the active font.
Helix Spline Helix Spline Create panel > Shapes > Splines > Object Type rollout > Helix Create menu > Shapes > Helix Use Helix to create open flat or 3D spirals. Interpolation The helix differs from other spline-based shapes in that it always uses adaptive interpolation: the number of vertices in a helix is determined by the number of turns. Creation Method rollout The Helix shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters.
282 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Helical spline varied only by bias settings • A bias of –1.0 forces the turns toward the start of the helix. • A bias of 0.0 evenly distributes the turns between the ends. Red line shows the section shape based on the structure. • A bias of 1.0 forces the turns toward the end of the helix. Procedure To create and use a section shape: CW/CCW—The direction buttons set whether the Helix turns clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CCW).
Section Spline Interface Rendering and Interpolation rollouts All spline-based shapes share these parameters. See Splines (page 1–266) for an explanation of these parameters. Section Parameters rollout while you move it. Click the Update Section button to update the intersection. Manually—Updates the intersection line only when you click the Update Section button.
284 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Provides spinners that let you adjust the length and width of the displayed section rectangle. Length/Width—Adjust the length and width of the displayed section rectangle. Note: If you convert the section grid to an editable spline, it’s converted to a shape based on the current cross section. 3. Click WRectangle. 4. Drag and release the mouse button to define the outer rectangle. 5. Move the mouse and then click to define the inner rectangle.
Channel Spline and exterior corners of the wrectangle. It also maintains the thickness of the section. Default=on. Procedure To create a channel: Corner Radius 1—Controls the radius of all four interior and exterior corners of the section. If Sync Corner Fillets is turned off, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of the four exterior corners of the wrectangle. Corner Radius 2—Controls the radius of the four interior corners of the wrectangle.
286 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Length—Controls the height of the vertical web of the channel. Width—Controls the width of the top and bottom horizontal legs of the channel. Thickness—Controls the thickness of both legs of the angle. Example of Angle Sync Corner Fillets—When turned on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of both the interior and exterior corners between the vertical web and horizontal legs. It also maintains the thickness of the channel. Default=on.
Tee Spline Parameters rollout Tee Spline Create panel > Shapes > Extended Splines > Object Type rollout > Tee Create menu > Shapes > Tee Use Tee to create a closed T-shaped spline. You can specify the radius of the two interior corners between the vertical web and horizontal flange of the section. Length—Controls the height of the vertical leg of the angle. Width—Controls the width of the horizontal leg of the angle. Thickness—Controls the thickness of both legs of the angle.
288 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Creation Method rollout The Tee shape uses the standard creation methods of Center or Edge. Most spline-based shapes share the same Creation Method parameters. For explanations, see Splines and Extended Splines (page 1–266). corners between the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the section. Parameters rollout Example of Wide Flange Procedure To create a Wide Flange spline: Go to the Create panel and choose 1. Shapes.
Editable Spline Parameters rollout Length—Controls the height of the vertical web of the wide flange. Width—Controls the width of the horizontal flanges crossing the wide flange. Thickness—Controls the thickness of the web and flanges. Corner Radius—Controls the radius of the four The functions in Editable Spline are the same as those in the Edit Spline modifier (page 1–680).
290 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • In a viewport, right-click the object and choose Convert To: > Convert to Editable Spline from the Transform (lower-right) quadrant of the quad menu. • Create a shape with two or more splines by first turning off Start New Shape (on the Create panel). Any shape made up of two or more splines is automatically an editable spline. • Apply an Edit Spline modifier to a shape, and then collapse the stack.
Editable Spline Rendering and Interpolation rollouts will use the Viewport settings for this mesh conversion if Use Viewport Settings is turned on; otherwise it will use the Renderer settings. This gives maximum flexibility, and will always give the conversion of the mesh displayed in the viewports. The U coordinate wraps once around the thickness of the spline; the V coordinate is mapped once along the length of the spline. Tiling is achieved using the Tiling parameters in the material itself.
292 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Renderer—Turn this on to specify Radial or Rectangular parameters for the shape as it will display when rendered or viewed in the viewport when Enable in Viewport is turned on. Radial—Displays the 3D mesh as a cylindrical object. Thickness—Specifies the diameter of the viewport or rendered spline mesh. Default=1.0. Range=0.0 to 100,000,000.0. Width—Specifies the size of the cross–section along the local X axis.
Editable Spline Spline steps can be either adaptive or manually specified. The method used is set by the state of the Adaptive check box. The main use for manual interpolation is to create splines for morphing or other operations where you must have exact control over the number of vertices created. Selection rollout Optimize—When on, removes unneeded steps from straight segments in the spline. Default=on. Note: Optimize is not available when Adaptive is on.
294 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Splines—Are a combination of one or more connected segments. Named Selections group Copy—Places a named selection into the copy buffer. Paste—Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer. Lock Handles—Normally you can transform the tangent handles of only one vertex at a time, even when multiple vertices are selected. Use the Lock Handles controls to transform multiple Bezier and Bezier Corner handles simultaneously.
Editable Spline (Object) displays the number of vertices it contains. When more than one spline is selected, the number of splines selected is displayed on the first line, and the total number of vertices they contain is displayed on the second line. Geometry rollout The Geometry rollout provides functions for editing a spline object and sub-objects.
296 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry When this option is chosen, new vertices that overlap are automatically welded. • Bezier—New vertices will have bezier tangency. • Bezier Corner—New vertices will have bezier corner tangency. Create Line—Adds more splines to the selected spline. These lines are separate spline sub-objects; create them in the same way as the line spline (page 1–270). To exit line creation, right-click or click to turn off Create Line.
Editable Spline (Vertex) End Point Auto-Welding group • Automatic Welding—When Automatic Welding is turned on, an end point vertex that is placed or moved within the threshold distance of another end point of the same spline is automatically welded. This feature is available at the object and all sub-object levels. • Threshold—A proximity setting that controls how close vertices can be to one another before they are automatically welded. Default=6.0.
298 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Geometry rollout New Vertex Type group Bezier vertex (left) and Bezier Corner vertex (right) To copy and paste vertex tangent handles: 1. Turn on Vertex Selection, then Select the vertex you want to copy from. 2. On the Geometry rollout scroll down to the Tangent group and click Copy. 3. Move your cursor over the vertices in the viewport. The cursor changes to a copy cursor. Click the handle you wish to copy. 4.
Editable Spline (Vertex) superimposed non-connected vertices for every previous one, allowing the once-joined segment ends to be moved away from each other. The Refine group includes a number of functions useful for building spline networks for use with the Surface modifier (page 1–842). Attach—Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object you’re attaching must also be a spline.
300 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry After turning on Connect and before beginning the refinement process, turn on any combination of these options: • Linear—When on, makes all segments in the new spline straight lines by using Corner vertices. When Linear is off, the vertices used to create the new spline are of the Smooth type. • Bind First—Causes the first vertex created in a refinement operation to be bound to the center of the selected segment. See Bound Vertex (page 3–919).
Editable Spline (Vertex) Make First—Specifies which vertex in the selected shape is the first vertex. The first vertex of a spline is indicated as a vertex with a small box around it. Select one vertex on each spline within the currently edited shape that you want to change and click the Make First button. On open splines, the first vertex must be the endpoint that is not already the first vertex. On closed splines, it can be any point that isn’t already the first vertex.
302 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • Fillet Amount—Adjust this spinner (to the right of the Fillet button) to apply a fillet effect to selected vertices. Chamfer—Lets you bevel shape corners using a chamfer function. You can apply this effect interactively (by dragging vertices) or numerically (using the Chamfer spinner). Click the Chamfer button, and then drag vertices in the active object. The Chamfer spinner updates to indicate the chamfer amount as you drag.
Editable Spline (Segment) Tangent group Tools in this group let you copy and paste vertex handles from one vertex to another. Copy— Turn this on, then choose a handle. This action copies the selected handle tangent into a buffer. Paste—Turn this on, then click a handle. This Bind is useful for connecting splines when building a spline network for use with the Surface modifier (page 1–842). Unbind—Lets you disconnect bound vertices (page 3–919) from the segments to which they’re attached.
304 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Procedure Geometry rollout To change segment properties: New Vertex Type group 1. Select an editable spline segment, and then right-click. 2. On the Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu, choose Line or Curve. The effect of changing segment properties varies according to the type of vertices at the segment end. • Corner vertices always result in line segments regardless of the segment property.
Editable Spline (Segment) to a Break icon. You can now click any spot on a segment. The clicked spot becomes two coincident vertices, and the segment is split into two parts. The Refine group includes a number of functions useful for building spline networks for use with the Surface modifier (page 1–842). Attach—Attaches another spline in the scene to the selected spline. Click the object you want to attach to the currently selected spline object. The object you’re attaching to must also be a spline.
306 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry After turning on Connect and before beginning the refinement process, turn on any combination of these options: • Linear—When on, makes all segments in the new spline linear by using Corner vertices. When Linear is off, the vertices used to create the new spline are of the Smooth type. • Bind First—Causes the first vertex created in a refinement operation to be bound to the center of the selected segment. For more information, see Bound Vertex (page 3–919).
Editable Spline (Segment) Hide—Hides selected segments. Select one or more segments, and then click Hide. Unhide All—Displays any hidden sub-objects. Delete—Deletes any selected segments in the current shape. • Same Shp—(Same Shape) When on, Reorient is disabled, and a Detach operation keeps the detached segment as part of the shape (rather than producing a new shape). If Copy is also on, you end up with a detached copy of the segment in the same location.
308 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Surface Properties rollout Clear Selection—When turned on, selecting a new ID or material name forces a deselection of any previously selected segments or splines. When turned off, selections are cumulative so new ID or material name selections add to a previous selection set of segments or splines. Default=on. Editable Spline (Spline) Material group You can apply different material IDs to spline segments (see Material ID (page 3–969)).
Editable Spline (Spline) Soft Selection rollout New Vertex Type group See Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963) for information on the Soft Selection rollout settings. The radio buttons in this group let you determine the tangency of the new vertices created when you Shift +Clone segments or splines. If you later use Connect Copy, vertices on the splines that connect the original segment or spline to the new one will have the type specified in this group.
310 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry want to attach to the current editable spline, then click OK. Cross Section—Creates a spline cage out of cross–sectional shapes. Click Cross Section, select one shape then a second shape, splines are created joining the first shape with the second. Continue clicking shapes to add them to the cage. This functionality is similar to the Cross Section modifier, but here you can determine the order of the cross sections.
Editable Spline (Spline) Select one or more splines and then adjust the outline position dynamically with the spinner, or click Outline and then drag a spline. If the spline is open, the resulting spline and its outline will make a single closed spline. Original and outlined splines Note: Normally, if using the spinner, you must first select a spline before using Outline. If, however, the spline object contains only one spline, it is automatically selected for the outlining process.
312 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • Subtraction—Subtracts the overlapping portion of the second spline from the first spline, and deletes the remainder of the second spline. • Intersection—Leaves only the overlapping portions of the two splines, deleting the non-overlapping portion of both. Trim—Use Trim to clean up overlapping segments in a shape so that ends meet at a single point. To trim, you need intersecting splines. Click the portion of the spline you want to remove.
Compound Objects Detach—Copies selected splines to a new spline object, and deletes them from the currently selected spline if Copy is clear. Use the spinner or enter the number from the keyboard. The total number of available IDs is 65,535. • Reorient—The spline being detached is moved and rotated so that its creation local coordinate system is aligned with the creation local coordinate system of the selected spline.
314 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Morph Compound Object Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Morph Select an object.
Morph Compound Object The original object is known as the seed or base object. The object into which the seed object morphs is known as the target object. You can morph one seed into multiple targets; the seed object’s form changes successively to match the forms of the target objects as the animation plays. Before you can create a morph, the seed and target objects must meet these conditions: • Both objects must be mesh, patch, or poly objects. • Both objects must have an equal number of vertices.
316 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 3. Right-click the modifier stack display in the Modify panel and select Convert To Editable Patch from the pop-up menu. 4. Right-click the patch, and then click Move in the Transform quadrant of the quad menu. 5. In the Top viewport, hold Shift and drag with the patch to create a copy on the right side of the viewport. 6. On the Modify panel > Selection rollout, go to the Vertex sub-object level. 7.
Morph Compound Object The Create Morph Key button is available only when a target object name is selected. 3. Click Create Morph Key. 3ds Max places a morph key at the active frame. You can use an animated object or another morph as the target of a morph. Current Targets rollout 4. To preview the effect of the morph, drag the time slider back and forth. You can view and edit the morph keys in Track View, which also lets you view the morph’s target object parameters.
318 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Scatter Compound Object Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Scatter Select an object. > Create menu > Compound > Scatter Scatter is a form of compound object that randomly scatters the selected source object either as an array, or over the surface of a distribution object. Results of scattering source object with distribution object visible (above) and hidden (below) You now have two choices.
Scatter Compound Object 5. Use the Duplicates spinner to specify the number of duplicates. (This is not necessary if you’re using the All Vertices, All Edge Midpoints or All Face Centers distribution methods.) Interface Pick Distribution Object rollout 6. Choose a distribution method in the Scatter Object rollout > Distribute Object Parameters group under Distribute Using. 7. Optionally, adjust the Transform spinners to randomly transform the duplicates. 8.
320 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Scatter Objects rollout example, if your distribution object is a sphere, you can click Distribution: D_Sphere01, open the Stack list, and select Sphere to access the sphere’s parameters. Source Name—Lets you rename the source object within the compound Scatter object. Distribution Name—Lets you rename the distribution object. Extract Operand—Extract a copy or an instance of the selected operand. Choose an operand in the list window to enable this button.
Scatter Compound Object Base Scale—Alters the scale of the source object, affecting each duplicate identically. This scale occurs before any other transforms. Vertex Chaos—Applies a random perturbation to the vertices of the source object. Stack. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to use the Instance option when picking the distribution object. You can then apply a Mesh Select modifier to the original object and select only those faces you want to use for the distribution of the duplicates.
322 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry All Vertices—Places a duplicate object at each Transforms rollout vertex in the distribution object. The Duplicates value is ignored. All Edge Midpoints—Places a duplicate at the midpoint of each segment edge. All Face Centers—Places a duplicate object at the center of each triangular face on the distribution object. The Duplicates value is ignored. Volume—Scatters objects throughout the distribution object’s volume.
Scatter Compound Object distribution object, you must adjust the Transform settings in order to see the duplicates. Rotation group Specifies random rotation offsets. X, Y, Z deg—Enter the maximum random rotational offset you want about the local X, Y, or Z axis of each duplicate. Use Maximum Range—When on, forces all three settings to match the maximum value. The other two settings become disabled, and the setting containing the maximum value remains enabled.
324 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry no effect on the rendered image, which always displays the mesh duplicates. select another Scatter object and load the preset values into the new object. Mesh—Displays the full geometry of the duplicates. Preset Name—Lets you define a name for your Display %—Specifies the percentage of the total settings. Click the Save button to save the current settings under the preset name. duplicate objects that appear in the viewports. This has no effect on the rendered scene.
Conform Compound Object the Wrap-To. There is also a space-warp version of this function; see Conform space warp (page 2–103). Because the space-warp version is somewhat easier to use, it’s a good idea to read that topic first, try the example, and then return here. This topic provides additional methods of projecting the wrapper vertices. Note: This tool gives you the ability to morph between any two objects, regardless of the number of vertices in each object.
326 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry An instance of the terrain object is created, with the same object color as the road. Parameters rollout Contains all parameters for the Conform object. 7. Activate the Top viewport. In the Parameters rollout > Vertex Projection Direction group, choose Use Active Viewport, and click Recalculate Projection. Objects group 8. In the Update group, turn on Hide Wrap-To Object. This hides the instance of the terrain so you can clearly see the road projected onto it.
Conform Compound Object Choose one of these seven options to determine the projection of the vertices. Use Active Viewport—The vertices are projected away (inward) from the active viewport. Recalculate Projection—Recalculates the projection direction for the currently active viewport. Because the direction is initially assigned when you pick the Wrap-To object, if you want to change viewports after assignment, click this button to recalculate the direction based on the new active viewport.
328 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry selection. To access the Modifier stack of the Wrapper object, select the Wrapper object in the list window, open the Modifier stack, and select the base object name. At this point you can apply a Mesh Select modifier, for example, and select the vertices you want to affect. Update group Connect Compound Object Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Connect Select an object.
Connect Compound Object Vertex colors, on the other hand, interpolate smoothly. Notes: • You can use Connect on objects that have multiple sets of holes. Connect will do its best to match up the holes between the two objects. • The mapping coordinates assigned to the original two objects are maintained to the extent possible. You might find irregularities in the bridged area, depending on the complexity and difference between the two original sets of mapping coordinates and the types of geometry.
330 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Parameters rollout Pick Operand rollout Pick Operand—Click this button to connect an additional operand to the original object. For example, you might begin with a single object with two holes, and arrange two additional objects, each with one hole, outside of those holes. Click the Pick Operand button and select one of the objects, which is connected, and then click Pick Operand again and select the other object, which is connected.
BlobMesh Compound Object Interpolation group Display group Segments—Sets the number of segments in the connecting bridge. Determines whether the shape operands are displayed. Tension—Controls the curvature in the connecting bridge. A value of 0 provides no curvature, while higher values create curves that attempt to more smoothly match the surface normals on either end of the connecting bridge. This spinner has no apparent effect when Segments is set to 0.
332 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry determined by the size of the particle on which it’s based. • For helpers, a metaball is placed at the pivot point, and the size of the metaball is determined by the original BlobMesh object. Note: You can apply motion blur (page 3–975) to a BlobMesh object to enhance the effects of motion in renderings. For particle systems other than Particle Flow, use Image motion blur.
BlobMesh Compound Object This will retain the soft selection and pass it up the stack regardless of whether you exit the sub-object mode. 5. Click Create panel > Compound Objects > BlobMesh, and click anywhere on the screen to create the initial metaball. 6. Go to the Modify panel. 7. In the Blob Objects group, click Add. Select the A metaball appears at each vertex of the selected object. 9. In the Parameters rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection.
334 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Parameters rollout values will tighten the surface, and make the metaballs smaller. Tension—Determines how relaxed or tight the surface will be. A smaller value makes a looser surface. This value can range from 0.01 to 1.0. Default=1.0. Evaluation Coarseness—Sets the coarseness, or density, of the resulting blobmesh.
BlobMesh Compound Object metaballs are present, such as 2,000 or more. Turn on this option only when using a particle system or other object that produces a large number of metaballs. Default=Off. Particle Flow Parameters rollout Off in Viewport—Turns off the display of the blobmesh in viewports. The blobmesh will still appearing in renderings. Default=Off.
336 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry ShapeMerge Compound Object Interface Pick Operand rollout Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > ShapeMerge Select an object. > Create menu > Compound > ShapeMerge ShapeMerge combines the lettering, a text shape, with the mesh that models the cake. ShapeMerge creates a compound object consisting of a mesh object and one or more shapes.
ShapeMerge Compound Object Parameters rollout Cookie Cutter—Cuts the shape out of the mesh object’s surface. Merge—Merges the shape with the surface of the mesh object. Invert—Reverses the effect of Cookie Cutter or Merge. With the Cookie Cutter option, the effect is obvious. When Invert is off, the shape is a hole in the mesh object. When Invert is on, the shape is solid and the mesh is missing. When you’re using Merge, Invert reverses the sub-object mesh selection.
338 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • Vertex—Outputs the vertices defined by the spline of the shape. Display/Update rollout Boolean Compound Object Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Boolean Select an object. > Create menu > Compound > Boolean A Boolean object combines two other objects by performing a Boolean operation on them. Display group Determines whether the shape operands are displayed. • Result—Displays the result of the operation.
Boolean Compound Object from an earlier version of 3ds Max, the Modify panel displays the interface for the earlier Boolean operation. You can layer Booleans in the stack display, so that a single object can incorporate many Booleans. By navigating through the stack display, it’s possible to revisit the components of each Boolean and make changes to them.
340 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • If operand A doesn’t have a material, it inherits operand B’s material. Again, it might make more sense to correct these manually. • If operand B doesn’t have a material, it inherits operand A’s material. Use shaded viewports to look for normal problems, watching for objects that appear inside-out or look otherwise incorrect. You can also turn on Show in the Editable Mesh (Face) (page 1–1009) > Surface Properties rollout > Normals group.
Boolean Compound Object Alignment If two Boolean operands are perfectly aligned without actually intersecting, the Boolean operation might produce the wrong result. Although this is rare, if it does occur, you can eliminate it by making the operands overlap slightly. Relative Complexity Between Operands Boolean works best when the two operands are of similar complexity.
342 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 5. On the Modify panel, choose Operand B from the Parameters rollout > Operands list. If you want to see operand B, choose Display/Update rollout > Display group > Operands or Result + Hidden Ops. If you want to animate the Cylinder or the Cylinder’s parameters you can now access them in the modifier stack display. 6. If you want to modify the sphere’s parameters, choose the box in the Operands list. 7. Now there are two entries labeled Boolean in the stack display.
Boolean Compound Object Parameters rollout Operation group Union—The Boolean object contains the volume of both original objects. The intersecting or overlapping portion of the geometry is removed. Intersection—The Boolean object contains only the volume that was common to both original objects (in other words, where they overlapped). Subtraction (A-B)—Subtracts the intersection volume of operand B from operand A.
344 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry same mesh. Use Split to break an object into two parts along the bounds of another object. • Remove Inside—Deletes all operand A faces inside operand B. This option modifies and deletes faces of operand A inside the area intersected by operand B. It works like the subtraction options, except that 3ds Max adds no faces from operand B. Use Remove Inside to delete specific areas from your geometry. • Remove Outside—Deletes all operand A faces outside operand B.
Material Attach Options Dialog geometry, but you can force an update when necessary. • Manually—Updates Booleans only when you click Update. With this option, the viewports and the render output don’t always show current geometry, but you can force an update when necessary. Update—Updates the Boolean. The Update button is not available when Always is selected. Displaying the hidden operand after A-B Material Attach Options Dialog Use objects with different materials assigned to them.
346 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Procedure To create a Boolean from objects that match material IDs to material: 1. Create a Boolean (page 1–341) using at least one object that has a multi/sub-object material (page 2–1594) assigned to it. 2. On the Pick Boolean rollout, click Pick Operand B. 3. Click in a viewport and select the B operand. 3ds Max displays the Match Attach Options dialog. 4. Choose Match Material IDs to Material to complete the Boolean operation.
Terrain Compound Object Terrain Compound Object Select spline contours. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Terrain Select spline contours. > Create menu > Compound > Terrain The Terrain button lets you produce terrain objects. 3ds Max generates these objects from contour line data. You select editable splines representing elevation contours and create a mesh surface over the contours.
348 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry and minimum elevations in the Base Elev box. Click Add Zone after entering the value. 3ds Max displays the zones in the list under the Create Defaults button. 4. Click the Base Color swatch to change the color of each elevation zone. For example, you could use a deep blue for low elevations, a light blue for intermediate elevations, and perhaps greens for higher elevations. 5. Click Solid To Top of Zone to see the elevation changes in a striped effect. 6.
Terrain Compound Object Parameters rollout Terrain created as a graded surface • Graded Solid—Creates a graded surface with skirts around the sides and a bottom surface. This represents a solid that is visible from every direction. • Layered Solid—Creates a "wedding cake" or laminated solid similar to cardboard architectural models. Operands group Operand list—Displays the current operands. Each operand is listed as "Op" followed by a number and the name of the object that is being used as the operand.
350 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry bed is described with contours; the resulting form may look more like a series of cascades at each elevational contour, rather than a smoothly descending ravine. When Retriangulate is checked, a somewhat slower algorithm is used that follows contour lines more closely. This may be particularly evident in the Layered Solid display mode. For additional precision, try using Retriangulate in conjunction with horizontal interpolation. Update—Updates the terrain object.
Terrain Compound Object refined but more complex mesh. This is most effective in terrain forms that use constructive curves such as circles and ellipses. This results in more detail and a larger file size than using No Simplification. Color by Elevation rollout Vertical group • No Simplification—Uses all the spline operandsvertices of the terrain object to create a complex mesh. This results in greater detail and a larger file size than the other two options.
352 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry If you enter a value no greater than the minimum elevation in the object, 3ds Max divides the range between the reference and minimum elevations into five color zones: dark green, light green, yellow, purple, and light gray. If you enter a value between the minimum and maximum elevations, 3ds Max creates six color zones. Two zones (dark blue and light blue) are used for elevations below the reference elevation. These are considered to be under water.
Loft Compound Object As you arrange shapes along the path, 3ds Max generates a surface between the shapes. You create shape objects to serve as a path for any number of cross-section shapes. The path becomes the framework that holds the cross sections forming your object. If you designate only one shape on the path, 3ds Max assumes an identical shape is located at each end of the path. The surface is then generated between the shapes. 3ds Max places few restrictions on how you create a loft object.
354 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 6. Click a shape. The cursor changes to the Get Shape cursor as you move it over potential shapes. The selected shape is placed at the first vertex of the path. On the Creation Method rollout, you determine whether to use a shape or path for creating the loft object, and the type of action you want for the resulting loft object. Tip: You can flip the shape along the path by Get Path—Assigns a path to the selected shape or holding down Ctrl when using Get Shape.
Surface Parameters Rollout Interface Smooth Width—Provides a smooth surface around the perimeter of the cross-section shapes. This type of smoothing is useful when your shapes change the number of vertices or change form. Default=on. Mapping group Bitmap used to create the lines on the road Smoothing group Mapped roadway showing U and V dimensions for the loft Apply Mapping—Turns lofted mapping coordinates on and off. Apply Mapping must be on in order to access the remaining items.
356 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Width Repeat—Sets the number of times a map repeats around the perimeter of cross-section shapes. The left edge of a map is aligned with the first vertex of each shape. Normalize—Determines how path vertex spacing affects a map along both the path length and shape width. When on, vertices are ignored. Map coordinates and Repeat values are applied evenly along the length of the path and around the shapes.
Path Parameters Rollout Interface Distance—Expresses the path level as an absolute distance from the first vertex of the path. Path Steps—Places shapes on path steps and vertices, rather than as a percentage or a distance along the path. When Path Steps is on, the following take place: • The Path spinner specifies the step along the path. The first step, at 0, is the first vertex.
358 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry • If you alter the Path Steps spinner while in Path Steps mode, the location of your shapes might change. An alert message warns you of this. • If you animate the topology of the path while in Path Steps mode (such as animating the number of sides of an NGon), your shapes might jump around trying to find a legitimate position, and you could end up with more than one shape on the same path level. Pick Shape—Sets the current level at any shape on the path.
Skin Parameters Rollout At this angle, the path cross sections intersect, causing problems in the mesh. 12. Select the loft object, and set the Path Steps to 1. The cross sections no longer intersect, and the corner is clean. When creating straight-edge molding for architectural modeling, you can avoid mangled corners by simply reducing the path steps to 0. faces that do not render or deform as well as those created with grid capping.
360 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Left: Shape Steps=0. Right: Shape Steps=4. Path Steps—Sets the number of steps between each main division of the path. This value affects the number of segments along the length of the loft. Frame lofted with Path Steps=5 Optimize Shapes—When on, the Shape Steps setting is ignored for straight segments of cross-section shapes. If multiple shapes are on the path, only straight segments that have a match on all shapes are optimized. Default=off.
Skin Parameters Rollout When Optimize Path is off, the lofted roadway uses more steps. Lofting the roadway with Contour off causes it to twist. When Optimize Path is on, straight sections of the lofted roadway don’t require additional steps. Roadway lofted with Contour turned on Adaptive Path Steps—When on, analyzes the whenever the path bends and changes height in the path’s local Z axis. The bank amount is controlled by 3ds Max. Banking is ignored if the path is 2D.
362 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Roadway lofted with Banking turned on Frame lofted with Constant Cross Section turned on Constant Cross Section—When on, the cross sections are scaled at angles in the path to maintain uniform path width. When off, the cross sections maintain their original local dimensions, causing pinching at path angles. Linear Interpolation—When on, generates a loft skin with straight edges between each shape. When off, generates a loft skin with smooth curves between each shape.
Deformations Transform Degrade—Causes the loft skin to disappear during sub-object shape/path transformations. For example, moving a vertex on the path causes the loft to disappear. When off, you can see the skin during these Sub-Object transformations. Default=off. Display group Skin—When on, displays a loft’s skin in all views using any shading level and ignores the Skin In Shaded setting. When off, displays only the loft sub-objects. Default=on.
364 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Deform Twist (page 1–364) Deform Teeter (page 1–365) Deform Bevel (page 1–366) Deform Fit (page 1–367) Deformation Dialog (page 1–368) Deform Scale Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Deformations rollout > Scale Scale deformation curve dialog Procedure You can loft objects such as columns and bugles from a single shape that changes only its scale as it travels along a path. Use Scale deformation when you want to make these types of objects.
Deform Teeter Deform Teeter Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Deformations rollout > Teeter Using twist to deform the lofted roadway These are the properties of Twist deformation curves: Teeter deformation rotates shapes about their local X axis and Y axis. Teetering is what 3ds Max does automatically when you select Contour on the Skin Parameters rollout. Use Teeter deformation when you want to manually control contour effects. • A single red curve determines shape rotation about the path.
366 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Deform Bevel Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Deformations rollout > Bevel Roadway lofted with teeter turned on. Teeter affects the X and Y axis orientation of the shape in relation to the path. These are the properties of Teeter deformation curves: • The two curves are red for X-axis rotation and green for Y-axis rotation. • Default curve values are at 0 degrees rotation. • Positive values rotate the shape counterclockwise about the shape’s positive axis.
Deform Fit Normal and Adaptive Beveling The Bevel Deformation dialog provides three types of beveling: Normal, Adaptive Linear, and Adaptive Cubic. These are available from a flyout at the right end of the dialog toolbar. Deform Fit Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Deformations rollout > Fit With normal beveling, the beveled shape remains parallel to the original, regardless of the crotch angle of the shape.
368 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Interface Fit Deformation dialog Get Shape—Lets you select the shape to use for Fit deformation. Click Get Shape, and then click the shape to use in a viewport. Generate Path—Replaces the original path with a new straight-line path. Deformation Dialog Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Deformations rollout > Scale, Twist, Teeter, Bevel, or Fit The Fit Deformation dialog contains different buttons than the other deformations.
Deformation Dialog produce a sharp corner. This type produces a curve that looks like the corner type but has control handles like the Bezier Smooth type. • Bezier Smooth—Adjustable Bezier control point with locked continuous tangent handles set to produce a smooth curve. Selecting Control Points Use the Move Control Point and Scale Control Point buttons with standard selection techniques to select control points. Procedures To drag Bezier tangent handles: 1.
370 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry are Make Symmetrical, Display X Axis, Display Y Axis, Display XY Axes, and Swap Deform Curves. Make Symmetrical—You can apply the same deformation to both axes of a shape using Make Symmetrical, which is both an action button and a curve editing mode. Turning on Make Symmetrical has the following effect: • When a single curve is displayed, it copies the displayed deformation curve to the curve for the hidden axis.
Deformation Dialog Scale Control Point—Scales the value of one or more selected control points with respect to 0. Use this function when you want to change only the deformation amounts of selected control points while maintaining their relative ratio of values. • Drag downward to reduce values. • Drag upward to increase values. Insert Control Point—This flyout contains buttons for inserting two control point types.
372 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry deformation type and the curve display setting. The curves are color-coded by axis. Zoom Vertical Extents—Changes the view magnification along the deformation values so the entire deformation curve is displayed in the dialog. A red curve displays deformation along the shape’s local X axis. A green curve displays deformation along the shape’s local Y axis.
Shape Commands Interface Delete—Deletes the shape from the loft object. Align group Put group Put—Places the path into the scene as a separate object (as a Copy or Instance). Shape Commands Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Modifier stack display > Sub-object level > Shape > Shape Commands rollout These controls let you align and compare shapes along the loft path. Interface The six buttons in this group let you align the selected shape in relation to the path.
374 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Compare Dialog Select a Loft object. > Modify panel > Modifier stack display > Sub-object level > Shape > Shape Commands rollout > Compare button The Compare dialog lets you compare any number of cross-section shapes in a loft object for purposes of making sure their first vertices are properly aligned. If shapes’ first vertices aren’t aligned, unexpected lofting results can occur.
Mesher Compound Object Procedure To use a Mesher object: 1. Add and set up a particle system. 2. Click the Create panel> Geometry > Compound Objects > Object Type rollout > Mesher button. 3. Drag in a viewport to add the Mesher object. The size doesn’t matter, but the orientation should be the same as that of the particle system. 4. Go to the Modify panel, click the Pick Object button, and then select the particle system.
376 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry to be able to be used by the Mesher object, so if you want only the Mesher replica to render, hide the original system before rendering. Interface Parameters rollout Time Offset—The number of frames ahead of or behind the original particle system that the Mesher’s particle system will run. Default=0. Build Only At Render Time—When on, the Mesher results do not appear in the viewports, but only when you render the scene. Default=off.
ProBoolean/ProCutter Compound Objects PFlow Events group When the Mesher object is applied to a Particle Flow system, use these controls to create meshes for specific events in the system. Mesher does not create meshes for the remaining events. [list box]—Displays all Particle Flow events currently affected by Mesher. not on triangles but N-sided polygons. Once the Boolean operations are completed, the result is retriangulated and sent back into 3ds Max with coplanar edges hidden.
378 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry coordinates or vertex colors are present, it is impossible to remove coplanar faces, so the resulting mesh quality will be lower. We suggest that you apply textures after the ProBoolean operations. See also ProBoolean Compound Object (page 1–378) ProCutter Compound Object (page 1–388) Quad Meshing and Smoothing (page 1–392) ProBoolean Compound Object Select an object.
ProBoolean Compound Object Supported Boolean Operations ProBoolean supports Union, Intersection, Subtraction, and Merge. The first three operations work similarly to their counterparts in the standard Boolean compound object. The Merge operation intersects and combines two meshes without removing any of the original polygons. This can be useful for cases in which you need to selectively remove parts of the mesh. Also supported are two variants of the Boolean operations: Cookie Cutter and Imprint.
380 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry can continue picking operands as long as the Start Picking button stays pressed in. Each of the objects you pick is added to the Boolean operation. When the Modify panel is active, you can add objects to a selected ProBoolean object by clicking the Start Picking button and then picking the objects to add.
ProBoolean Compound Object The result is the intersection of the sphere and the box; that is, a single object that represents the common volume both objects occupy. In this case, it’s the overlap of the sphere and the box. Although neither has a material at this point, the result uses the default color originally assigned by the software, at random, to the box when it was created. Note that Start Picking stays active (yellow).
382 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry The Boolean object changes significantly. The new order in the list tells you how this shape was achieved: The two boxes and the cylinder were all combined with Union, adding their volumes together, and then the sphere was incorporated into that result with Intersection, leaving only the volume shared by all four objects. You can also change the order of the operations, which can affect the results. 10.
ProBoolean Compound Object To transform operands in the ProBoolean object independent of the entire object, click the Operands branch to highlight it. You can then select one or more operands, either by using standard selection methods in the viewport, or by highlighting their names in the hierarchy view (page 1–386) list at the bottom of the Parameters rollout. When one, and only one, operand is selected, the object type (not its name) appears as a separate stack entry below the ProBoolean entry.
384 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry rollout set Update to Manually, and then click the Update button to view the results after performing the Boolean operations. Whether or not the operands are visible, you can transform and animate them at the Operands sub-object level, as with any other object in 3ds Max.
ProBoolean Compound Object Parameters rollout Merge—Combines objects into a single object without removing any geometry. New edges are created where the objects intersect. Note: In the following illustration, the display property Backface Cull was turned off so that all edges are visible. Left: Original object (box) and operand (small box) Center: Union operation; part of the smaller box is removed.
386 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Display—Choose one of the following display modes: • Result—Displays only the result of the Boolean operations, not the individual operands. Choosing Result also activates the ProBoolean level in the modifier stack (page 1–382). • Operands—Displays the operands that define the Boolean result. Use this mode to edit the operands and modify the result. Choosing Operands also activates the Operands level in the modifier stack (page 1–382).
ProBoolean Compound Object click the first, and then Shift +click the last. To highlight multiple non-contiguous entries, use Ctrl +click. To remove highlighting from a list entry, Alt +click the highlighted item. At the ProBoolean level in the modifier stack, you can perform only sub-object operations (page 1–386) on highlighted items. At the Operands sub-object level, you can transform highlighted operands as well as perform sub-object operations; see Modifier stack (page 1–382) for details.
388 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Note: When Make Quadrilaterals is on, the Following is a list of ProCutter features: Decimation setting has no effect. • Break apart a stock object into elements of an editable mesh or into separate objects using cutters that are either solids or surfaces. Quad Size %—Determines the size of the quadrilaterals as a percentage of the overall Boolean object length. Planar Edge Removal group This option determines how the polygons on planar faces are handled.
ProCutter Compound Object Interface Cutter Picking Parameters rollout • Instance—The Boolean operation makes an instance (page 3–957) of the selected object. Future modifications of the selected object will also modify the instanced object participating in the Boolean operation and vice-versa. Cutter Tool Mode group These options let you use the cutter as a sculpting tool, cutting the same object repeatedly in different places.
390 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry they intersect also. You can see in the following illustration. The parts on the right side of the following illustration that are not present on the left side are results of this option. Cylinder and sphere as cutters and box as stock Left: Keeping stock inside and outside cutters Right: Keeping stock inside/outside cutters and cutters outside stock Display—Choose one of the following display modes: • Show Result—Displays the result of the Boolean operations.
ProCutter Compound Object • Remove—Removes the operand or operands highlighted in the hierarchy view list from the Boolean result. It essentially undoes the addition of the highlighted operand(s) to the Boolean object. Each extracted operand becomes a top-level object again. • Copy—Extracts a copy of the operand highlighted in the hierarchy view list. The original operand remains part of the Boolean. • Inst—Extracts an instance of the operand highlighted in the hierarchy view list.
392 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Planar Edge Removal group Quad Meshing Basics This option determines how the polygons on planar faces are handled. Choose one of the following: • Remove All—Removes all extra coplanar edges on a face such that the face itself will define the polygon. • Remove Only Invisible—Removes invisible edges on each face. • No Edge Removal—No edges are removed. Quad Meshing and Smoothing ProBoolean and ProCutter can re-mesh planar surfaces using a quadrilateral meshing algorithm.
Quad Meshing and Smoothing history of the ProBoolean object. The following illustration shows the result of a MeshSmooth modifier with Subdivision Amount > Iterations=1 applied to a ProBoolean object with Quad Size % set to 3.0. Result of a quad mesh with Quad Size %=3.0 To change the size of the individual quadrilaterals, adjust the Quad Size % parameter. Typically a value between 1 and 4 percent achieves the desired results.
394 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Stripes and bumps with Quad Size %=2.0 Coplanar edges not removed from original box To fix the problem depicted above, the number of sides on the two cylinders was changed from 18 to 30 and the number of segments on the torus was changed from 24 to 36. The following illustration shows the improved result: When rendered, misshapen geometry results from the presence of coplanar edges. Increasing the primitives’ resolution fixes the problem.
Dynamics Objects Problem #3: Poor alignment of original primitive meshes causes undesirable results. Solution: Rotate or move original primitives into position to maximize mesh quality. The following illustration shows the result of subtracting three spheres of the same size from a box. The left-hand sphere is aligned properly so that there are good quads along both boundaries. This should produce a good result when smoothed.
396 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Create panel > Geometry > Dynamics Objects > Object Type rollout > Damper button one of the dummies can be the child of an object that’s included in the simulation. In this case, the dummy itself does not need to be in the simulation. Create menu > Dynamics > Damper Note: Damper is an "ideal" object with no mass. Damper Dynamics Object The Damper object provides a dynamic object that can behave as either a shock-absorber or an actuator.
Damper Dynamics Object Bound to Object Pivots—Choose this option when binding the damper to two objects, using the buttons described next. Generate Mapping Coords—Sets up the required coordinates for applying mapped materials to the object. Default=on. Binding Objects group Cylinder Parameters group Use these controls to pick the objects to which the damper is bound. To complete the binding, you must select two binding objects, and then click Bound to Object Pivots.
398 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Fillet 2—The size of the fillet on the upper edge of Boot Parameters group the main housing. Fillet Segs—The number of segments for Fillet 2. The higher this setting, the rounder the fillet profile appears. Inside Dia—Specifies the inside diameter of the main housing, which is actually a tube rather than a cylinder. Smooth Cylinder—When on, smoothing is applied to both the base and the main housing.
Damper Dynamics Object Stop Thick—The thickness (height) of the stop ring. Setback—The distance of the stop ring from the top of the piston. Stop Fillet—The size of the fillet on the upper edge of the stop ring. Fillet Segs—The number of segments the stop fillet. The higher this setting, the round the fillet profile appears. Smooth Boot—When on, smoothing is applied to the boot.
400 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Force—Specifies the amount of force exerted between the two bound objects. Positive values push the objects apart, while negative values pull them together. • Force is measured in— Lets you specify the measurement of force to use: Pounds per inch or Newtons per meter.
Spring Dynamics Object End Point Method group Common Spring Parameters group Free Spring—Choose this when using the spring as a simple object that’s not bound to other objects or used in a dynamics simulation. Bound to Object Pivots—Choose this when binding the spring to two objects, using the buttons described next. Binding Objects group Use these controls to pick the objects to which the spring is bound.
402 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Segments—This spinner lets you specify the total number of manual segments in the spring. Wire Shape group Smoothing—Provides various methods of smoothing the object. The options here work the same as those in the Torus primitive (page 1–180). • All—All surfaces are smoothed. • Sides—Smoothing runs along the length of the wire, but not around its perimeter. • Segments—Smoothing runs around the perimeter of the wire, but not along its length.
Spring Dynamics Object • Fillet Segs—Specifies the number of segments in the fillet. • Rotation—Rotates the angle of the cross section along the entire length of the spring. D-Section Wire—Specifies a D-shaped wire. • Width—Determines the width of the cross section. • Depth—Determines the depth of the cross section. • Round Sides—Specifies the number of segments that make up the rounded side of the D-shape.
404 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry non-linear compression is calculated using the relationship between the coil dimensions, wire diameter, and length. Extension compares the relationship between the wire diameter and overall spring diameter. Creating Systems Create panel > Systems A system combines objects, linkages, and controllers to produce an object set that has behavior as well as geometry.
Bones System a continuous skin mesh. You can animate bones with forward or inverse kinematics. For inverse kinematics, bones can use any of the available IK solvers (page 2–440), or through Interactive (page 2–480) or applied IK (page 2–481). Bones system seen alone and inside a wireframe model Any hierarchy can display itself as a bone structure (see Using Objects as Bones (page 1–410)), by simply turning on Bone On in the Bone Editing Tools rollout (page 1–411).
406 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry IK chain. If you are not going to assign an IK chain to the hierarchy, you can delete the small nub bone. solver from the list in the IK Chain Assignment rollout, and then turn on Assign To Children. When you exit bone creation, the chosen IK solver is automatically applied to the hierarchy. The solver extends from the first bone in the hierarchy to the last. For more information about IK, see Introduction to Inverse Kinematics (page 2–435).
Bones System Bones can have fins. Bones can be renderable. Object Properties for Bones In addition to visual properties, bones have behavioral properties. The controls for these are located on the Bone Tools floater (page 1–411). You can use these controls to turn other kinds of objects into bones. Using Constraints with Bones Bones with various fin configurations Renderable Bones Bones can be renderable, though by default, they are not.
408 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Procedures To create a bones system: 1. On the Create panel, click Systems, and then click Bones. You can also access Create Bones through the Bone Tools rollout. 2. Click in a viewport. This creates a joint that is the base of the bone’s hierarchy. 3. Drag to define the length of the second bone. The “nub” bone at the end of the chain has a Spring controller applied to it. The Spring controller is connected to an animated sphere. 4.
Bones System Interface Click the Modify tab on the command 2. panel. IK Chain Assignment rollout (creation time only) 3. Change settings in the Bone Parameters rollout. To change the length of bones after they’ve been created: Important: Repositioning a bone affects its length visually. More importantly, it affects the bone’s pivot position. The length of the bone is only a visual aid drawn between each bone’s pivot point. A bone has only one pivot.
410 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Bone Parameters rollout (creation and modification time) • Size—Controls the size of the fin. • Start Taper—Controls the start taper of the fin. • End Taper—Controls the end taper of the fin. • Front Fin—Lets you add a fin to the front of the bone you create. • Size—Controls the size of the fin. • Start Taper—Controls the start taper of the fin. • End Taper—Controls the end taper of the fin. Back Fin—Lets you add a fin to the back of the bone you create.
Bone Tools Once you’ve set objects to function as bones, applying an IK solution behaves as it does for standard bone objects. The geometry of the boned objects can stretch or squash during animation. Bone Editing Tools Rollout (page 1–411) Fin Adjustment Tools Rollout (page 1–413) Object Properties Rollout (Bone Tools) (page 1–414) Procedure To use objects as bones: Link the objects you want to display as 1. Bone Tools Rollouts bones. Select all of these objects. 2.
412 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Bone Pivot Position group Bone Edit Mode—Lets you change the lengths of bones and their positions relative to one another. When this button is on, you can change the length of a bone by moving its child bone. In effect, you can scale or stretch a bone by moving its child bone while in this mode. You can use this tool both before and after assigning an IK chain to the bone structure.
Fin Adjustment Tools Rollout Mirror Axis—Choose an axis or plane about which Interface the bones will be mirrored: X/Y/Z or XY/YZ/ZX. Bone Axis to Flip—To avoid creating a negative scale, choose the bone axis to flip: Y or Z. Offset—The distance between the original bones and the mirrored bones. Use this to move the mirrored bones to the other side of the character. Bone Coloring group Selected Bone Color—Sets the color for selected bones.
414 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Paste—Pastes the copied bone and fin settings to the currently selected bone. Interface Bone Objects group Width—Sets the width of the bone. Height—Sets the height of the bone. Taper—Adjusts the taper of the bone shape. A Taper with a 0 value produces a box-shaped bone. Higher values pinch the bone where it joins its child bone, while lower values expand that end of the bone. Fins group Side Fins—Adds side fins to selected bones. • Size—Controls the size of the fin.
Ring Array System This option is available only if Bone On is on. Default=on. Stretch and Axis Options Note: Changing the Auto-Align state does not place when the child bone is transformed and Freeze Length is off. Default=Scale. have an immediate visual effect on the skeleton. It affects future behavior when bones are moved. Correct Negative Stretch—When turned on, any stretching of the bone that results in a negative scale factor will be corrected to a positive number.
416 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Procedures To create the ring array system: 1. On the Create panel, click Systems, and then click Ring Array. 2. Drag in a viewport to set the center and radius of the array. A dummy object appears at the center. By default, four boxes are evenly spaced in a circle around it. To animate the ring array: 1. Turn on Auto Key. 2. Move to a nonzero frame. 3. Adjust the ring array parameters. You can’t animate the number of boxes in the ring. 4.
Ring Array System 4. Right-click and choose Paste. 5. In the Paste dialog, choose Copy or Instance. Optionally, to replace all the boxes with the copied object, turn on Replace All Instances. Click OK. The box or boxes are replaced with the copied object. Tip: To see the replacement objects, you might Top: Object substituted for boxes in array Bottom: The result Interface need to refresh the viewports. These parameters control ring arrays.
418 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry Radius—Sets the radius of the ring. You set the initial Radius value when you drag to create the ring array. Amplitude—Sets the amplitude of the ring’s sine curve, in active units. Amplitude is a height offset from the local origin of the center dummy object. Cycles—Sets the number of cycles in the ring’s sine curve. When Cycles is 0.0, the ring is flat. When Cycles is 1.0, the ring is tilted. Greater values increase the number of peaks in the curve.
Sunlight and Daylight Systems diameter of the hotspot is set to 65 per cent of the longest diagonal length of the scene extents (page 3–1007). also offer you the options of choosing no sunlight or no skylight. Controls for the geographic location and time of day are on the Motion panel. The default time is noon, and the default date and time zone are based on your computer’s local settings. The default location is San Francisco, CA. Procedures To create a Sunlight or Daylight system: 1.
420 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry 5. Click the Go To End button. 6. Animate the end time to late afternoon. 7. For a complete view of your environment and its shadows, render an animation from a Top viewport or a view above your scene. Interface Daylight Parameters rollout (Daylight system only) The Daylight Parameters rollout lets you define the daylight system’s sun object. You can set the sunlight and skylight behaviors.
Sunlight and Daylight Systems The Sunlight system adjusts the sun’s azimuth and altitude accordingly during the summer months. Hours/Mins/Secs—Specify the time of day. Month/Day/Year—Specify the date. Time Zone—Time zones range from –12 to 12. If you’re uncertain about a time zone, you can look them up in Window’s Date > Time Properties dialog (available through My Computer > Control Panel > Date > Time). Click the Time Zone tab, and then display the list of world locations and their time zones.
422 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry The best way to ensure that the light is set up correctly is to change one viewport to the light’s view (for example, Sun 01). Then adjust the light’s location using Dolly (page 3–751), and set the hotspot so it illuminates the whole model, with no falloff. North Direction—Sets the rotational direction of the compass rose in the scene. This is the geographical orientation of the compass rose. By default, north is 0 and points along the positive Y axis of the ground plane.
Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects To change an object’s position, orientation, or scale, click one of the three transform buttons on the Main toolbar or choose a transform from a shortcut menu. Apply the transform to a selected object using the mouse, the status bar Coordinate Display fields, a type-in dialog, or any combination of the above.
424 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Axis Tripod and World Axis Two visual aids in 3ds Max give you information about your current orientation in the workspace. Axis Tripod If no transform tool is active, an axis tripod appears in the viewports whenever you select one or more objects, to assist you visually in your transforms. When a transform tool is active, the transform gizmo (page 1–426) appears instead, unless you’ve turned it off.
Using Transforms • Position (page 1–439) • Rotation (page 1–439) 1–439), or Select And Scale (page 1–440). These buttons are usually referred to as Move, Rotate, and Scale. 2. Position the mouse over the object you want to transform.
426 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects • Drag the object to apply the transform and read the resulting change in the dialog. For example, if Move is active, the dialog fields read out both the absolute and offset positions of the selected object in world space. If no object is selected, the fields turn gray. Using Transform Gizmos Select an object. > main toolbar > Click any transform button to display the object’s Transform Gizmo icon.
Using Transform Gizmos position the mouse over one of the plane handles, and both associated axes turn yellow. You can now drag the selection along the indicated axis or axes. Doing so changes the Axis Constraints toolbar "Restrict to ..." setting (page 1–437). Move Gizmo The Move gizmo includes plane handles, and the option to use a center box handle. Scale gizmo The Transform gizmos are viewport icons that let you quickly choose one or two axes when transforming a selection with the mouse.
428 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Rotate Gizmo The Rotate gizmo is built around the concept of a virtual trackball. You can rotate an object freely, about the X, Y, or Z axis, or about an axis perpendicular to the viewport. In addition to XYZ rotation, you can also use free rotation or the viewport handle to rotate objects. Drag inside the Rotate gizmo (or the outer edge of the gizmo) to perform free rotation.
Using Transform Gizmos The Transform gizmo with Uniform scaling selected. • To perform non-uniform scaling, drag on a single axis or a plane handle. Top: The Scale gizmo with the YZ plane handle selected Bottom: Non-uniform scaling on the YZ plane Note: To perform a Squash operation, you must choose Select and Squash (page 1–442) on the main toolbar.
430 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects You can adjust settings for the Scale gizmo on the Gizmos panel (page 3–832) of the Preferences dialog (page 3–815) 7. Press the Spacebar to turn on Selection Lock Notes 8. Drag the mouse anywhere in a viewport away Using a Transform gizmo sets the default axis constraint to the last axis or plane you used. If Lock Selection Set is on, you can drag anywhere in the viewport to transform the object.
Transform Type-In Transform Type-In Status bar > Transform Type-In Edit menu > Transform Type-In F12 Main toolbar > Right-click Select And Move, Select And Rotate, or one of the Select And Scale buttons. Transform Type-In is a dialog that lets you enter precise values for move, rotate, and scale transforms (page 3–1026). You can use Transform Type-In with anything that can display an axis tripod or Transform gizmo. You can also use the Transform Type-In boxes on the status bar (page 3–698).
432 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects See Basics of Creating and Modifying Objects (page 1–153) for information on sub-object selection and gizmos. Absolute group (Dialog) Procedure To use transform type-in: 1. Select an object or a group of objects. 2. Choose a transform to perform on the objects (Move, Rotate, or Scale). 3.
Transform Managers Example: To animate an object moving among three points: Turn on the Auto Key button (page 1. 2–278). The Auto Key button and the highlight border around the active viewport both turn red. 2. Drag the time slider to frame 25. 3. Move the object from its current position (point A) to another location (point B). The software creates Move keys at frames 0 and 25. These appear on the track bar (page 3–703).
434 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Definitions Certain terms are used in the description of transforms and the transform managers. • An axis is a straight line along which an object is moved or scaled, or about which an object is rotated. When you work in 3D, you use three axes, labeled X, Y, and Z, which are oriented 90 degrees from each other. • A coordinate system specifies the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes used by a transform.
Specifying a Reference Coordinate System Specifying a Reference Coordinate System The reference coordinate system determines the orientation of the X, Y, and Z axes used by the transform. The type of transform system you use affects all transform operations. You specify the transform coordinate system using the Reference Coordinate System list (page 1–443). Creating a Local Axis While modeling, it’s often helpful to have a temporary, movable local axis so you can rotate or scale about an arbitrary center.
436 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects when transforming sub-object selections. You can override the active transform center and perform the current transform about a temporary point by using snaps. When Snaps is active, and your selection is locked, the point you snap to will set the point about which the transform is performed. Using this technique, you can: • Move relative to two snap points. • Rotate about a snapped point. • Scale about a snapped point.
Using the Axis Constraints of a dummy helper object, and then rotating or scaling the dummy. Another technique is to offset the pivot point of your object using the Hierarchy panel. For information about linking, dummy objects, and the Hierarchy panel, see Hierarchies (page 2–416).
438 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Restrict to Plane Flyout 2. On the Utilities panel, click Reset XForm. 3. On the Reset Transform rollout, click Reset Selected. Object rotation and scaling are now carried by an XForm modifier placed at the top of the modifier stack. The Restrict To Plane flyout, available from the Axis Constraints toolbar, lets you limit all transformations (move, rotate, scale) to the XY, YZ, or ZX planes (by default, parallel with the Top view).
Select and Move The direction of the movement is determined both by your mouse and by the current reference coordinate system. To restrict object movement to the X, Y, or Z axis, or to any two axes, click the appropriate button on the Axis Constraints toolbar (page 3–687), use the Transform gizmo (page 1–426), or right-click the object, and select the constraint from the Transform submenu.
440 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects movement. Just move the mouse straight up and straight down. Up rotates the object one way, down rotates it the opposite way. The center of rotation is determined by the Transform Center setting (page 1–442).
Select and Uniform Scale Select and Uniform Scale 1–440), lets you scale objects in a non-uniform manner according to the active axis constraint. Main toolbar > Select and Uniform Scale (on Select And Scale flyout) Right-click an object. > Scale (selects current toolbar Scale mode) The Select And Uniform Scale button, available from the Select And Scale flyout (page 1–440), lets you scale objects by the same amount along all three axes, maintaining the object’s original proportions.
442 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Select and Squash Main toolbar > Select And Squash (on Select And Scale flyout) Right-click an object. > Scale (selects current toolbar Scale mode) The Select And Squash tool is useful for creating different phases of the “squash and stretch”-style animation often found in cartoons. The Select And Squash tool, available from the Select And Scale flyout (page 1–440), lets you scale objects according to the active axis constraint.
Reference Coordinate System Use Transform Coordinate Center (page 1–447) Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects (page 1–423) View—In the default View coordinate system, X, Y, and Z axes are the same in all orthogonal viewports. When you move an object using this coordinate system, you are moving it relative to the space of the viewport. • X always points right. Reference Coordinate System Main toolbar > Reference Coordinate System list • Y always points up.
444 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects that tripod will change when you activate the viewport it is in. Example of a Parent object coordinate system Local—Uses the coordinate system of the selected The coordinate system in Screen mode is always relative to the point of view. World—Uses the world coordinate system. Seen from the front: • X runs in a positive direction to the right. • Z runs in a positive direction upward. • Y runs in a positive direction away from you.
Use Center Flyout rotation axes are not necessarily orthogonal to each other. will use. The object’s name appears in the Transform Coordinate System list. When you rotate about a single axis with the Local and Parent coordinate systems, this can change two or three of the Euler XYZ tracks. The Gimbal coordinate system avoids this problem: Euler XYZ rotation about one axis changes only that axis’s track. This makes function curve editing easier.
446 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects The Use Center flyout provides access to three methods you can use to determine the geometric center for scale and rotate operations. They are, from top to bottom: Use Pivot Point Center (page 1–446) Use Selection Center (page 1–447) Use Transform Coordinate Center (page 1–447) See also Choosing a Transform Center (page 1–435) Applying a rotation with the Pivot Point rotates each object around its own local axis.
Use Selection Center Use Selection Center Use Transform Coordinate Center Main toolbar > Use Selection Center (on Use Center flyout) The Use Selection Center button, available from the Use Center flyout (page 1–445), lets you enable rotation or scaling of one or more objects around their collective geometric center. If you transform multiple objects, the software calculates the average geometric center of all the objects and uses that for the transform center.
448 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Creating Copies and Arrays (page 1–471) Transform Tools The transform tools can transform objects according to certain conditions. Some of them, such as Array, can also create copies of objects. Array Flyout Extras toolbar > Array flyout These tools (except for Array, Snapshot, Spacing Tool, and Clone And Align) are available on the default main toolbar (page 3–686); the remainder are on the Extras toolbar (page 3–688).
Mirror Selected Objects To make a clone using mirror: 1. Make any object selection 2. Click Mirror on the Main toolbar, or choose Tools menu > Mirror. The Mirror dialog opens. 3. In the Clone Selection group, choose Copy, Instance, or Reference. 4. Make any additional settings as desired and then click OK. Mirroring an object Interface The Mirror dialog uses the current reference coordinate system (page 1–443), as reflected in its name.
450 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Offset—Specifies the distance of the mirrored object’s pivot point (page 3–995) from the original object’s pivot point. Clone Selection group Determines the type of copy made by the Mirror function. Default is No Clone. No Clone—Mirrors the selected object without making a copy.
Array 2. Choose Tools > Array. 2. Choose Tools > Array to display the Array dialog. 3. On the Array dialog, select the type of object to output: Copy, Instance, (page 3–957) or Reference (page 3–1002)). 3. In the Incremental set of parameters, set Move X (the upper-left field) to 50. This causes each object in the array to be positioned 50 units apart on the X axis. 4. In the Preview group, click the Preview button to turn it on.
452 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects 5. Click the arrow button to the right of the Rotate label to enable the three Rotate fields in the Totals section. Rotate—Specifies the degree of rotation about any of the three axes for each object in the array, in degrees. 6. Set the Z parameter to 360.0. Scale—Specifies the percentage of scale along any 7. In the Array Dimensions group, choose 1D and of the three axes for each object in the array, in percentages. set Count to 12.
Snapshot Array Dimensions group Lets you add to the Array Transformation dimension. The additional dimensions are positional only. Rotation and scale are not used. 1D—Creates a one-dimensional array, based on the settings in the Array Transformation group. Count—Specifies the total number of objects along this dimension of the array. For 1D arrays, this is the total number of objects in the array.
454 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Procedures Interface To clone an object over time: 1. Select an object with an animation path. Snapshot also shows the effect of any other transform animations, such as rotate or scale as well as parametric modifier animation. 2. Click the Snapshot button on the Extras toolbar > Array flyout, or choose Tools menu > Snapshot. 3. Set parameters in the dialog, and click OK. To space clones evenly by distance: 1.
Spacing Tool Reference—Clones references (page 3–1002) of the selected object. Not available with particle systems. Mesh—Use this to create mesh geometry out of particle system. Works with all kinds of particles. Spacing Tool Extras toolbar > Spacing Tool (on Array flyout) Tools menu > Spacing Tool The Spacing tool lets you distribute objects based on the current selection along a path defined by a spline or a pair of points.
456 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects 5. Specify the number of objects to distribute by setting the value of Count. 6. Depending on the spacing option you choose, adjust the spacing and offsets. 7. Under Context, choose Edge to specify that spacing be determined from the facing edges of each object’s bounding box, or choose Centers to specify that spacing be determined from the center of each object’s bounding box. 8.
Spacing Tool number of objects you specify and determines the amount of space between objects. When you specify more than one object, there are always objects at the ends of the spline. • Centered, Specify Spacing—Distributes objects along a path. The group of objects is centered at the middle of the path. The Spacing tool attempts to evenly fill the path with as many objects as it can fit along the length of the path using the amount of space you specify.
458 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects • Space from End, Unbounded—Distributes the number of objects you specify along a straight line from the end toward the start of a spline or a pair of points. You specify the spacing between objects. The software locks the end offset so that it’s the same as the spacing. • Space from End, Specify Number—Distributes the number of objects you specify toward the start of a spline or a pair of points, starting at the end.
Clone and Align Tool Follow—Use this to align the pivot points of the distributed objects to the tangent of the spline. Type of Object group Determines the type of copies made by the Spacing tool. The default is Copy. You can copy, instance (page 3–957), or reference (page 3–1002) objects. Copy—Distributes copies of the selected object to the specified position. Instance—Distributes instances of the selected object to the specified position.
460 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects 7. At any time, when Pick is off, you can change the source selection in a viewport. This causes the dialog to lose focus; click it again to regain focus and refresh the viewport preview of the clone operation. 8. To make the clones permanent, click Apply, and then click Cancel or the close button (X, in upper-right corner) to close the dialog.
Clone and Align Tool Clear All—Removes all destination objects from the Align Orientation group list. Available only when at least one destination object is designated. X/Y/Z Orientation—Specifies the axis or axes about Source Objects [label]—This read-only field shows the number of source objects. To change this value, keep the dialog open, make sure Pick is off, and then select source objects in the viewports. When you click the dialog, the field updates.
462 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Align Flyout Main toolbar > Align flyout The Align flyout, available from the Main toolbar (page 3–686), provides access to six different tools for aligning objects.
Align on the Main toolbar so that the axis tripod is properly aligned with your sub-object selection. Other alignment tools on the Align flyout are Quick Align (page 1–465), Normal Align (page 1–465), Place Highlight (page 1–467), Align to Camera (page 1–468), and Align to View (page 1–468). 2. The Align cursor appears. When over an eligible target object, the cursor also shows crosshairs. 3. Position the cursor over the target object and click. Procedures The Align Selection dialog appears.
464 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects 4. Use the available settings in the Align dialog to adjust the transformation of the gizmo. To align a sub-object selection of geometry to another object: 1. Do one of the following: • Convert the object to an editable mesh, and then perform the sub-object selection at any level. • Apply a Mesh Select modifier, followed by an XForm modifier. (The Mesh Select modifier by itself doesn’t allow transforms.) 2.
Quick Align It does not necessarily cause two objects to be the same size. There will be no change in size if neither of the objects has previously been scaled. Normal Align Main toolbar > Normal Align (on Align flyout) Tools menu > Normal Align Quick Align Keyboard > Alt+N Main toolbar > Quick Align (on Align flyout) Tools menu > Quick Align Keyboard > Shift+A Quick Align lets you instantly align the position of the current selection to that of a target object.
466 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects Interface 2. Click Normal Align on the Main toolbar, or choose Tools > Normal Align. 3. Drag across the surface of the source object. The Normal Align cursor appears, attached to a pair of cross hairs. A blue arrow at the cursor indicates the current normal. 4. Move the cursor and blue arrow until you locate the normal you want to use, then release. The blue arrow remains as reference to the source normal. 5.
Place Highlight the original transform (page 3–1026) of the source object. to do with highlights, but is simply being used to position objects. Note: Highlight rendering depends on the Place Highlight material’s specular properties and the type of rendering you use.
468 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects 4. Drag over the object to place the highlight. When you place an omni, free spot, or directional light, the software displays a face normal for the face the mouse indicates. When you place a target spotlight, the software displays the light’s target and the base of its cone. 5. Release the mouse when the normal or target display indicates the face you want to highlight. The light now has a new position and orientation.
Align to View 2. Click Align to View. 3. Specify the local axis of the selected object to align with the current viewport’s Z axis. 4. Select the Flip check box when you switch the direction of the alignment. The alignment takes place while the dialog is displayed. 5. Click OK to complete the process. Interface The Align to View dialog contains the following options: Align X, Align Y, Align Z—Specifies which local axis of the selected object will be aligned with the current viewport’s Z axis.
470 Chapter 6: Transforms: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling Objects
Creating Copies and Arrays With 3ds Max, you can quickly create multiple versions of one or more selected objects during a transform operation. You do this by holding down the Shift key as you move, rotate, or scale the selection. cloning, the result is a "flip" of the geometry, optionally to a new location. • Snapshot lets you create clones equally spaced over time or distance, based on an animation path.
472 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays • Creating Linear Arrays (page 1–487) • Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays (page 1–489) Mirroring Objects (page 1–491) Using the Spacing Tool (page 1–491) Overview of Copies, Instances, and References To duplicate an object, you use one of three methods. For all three methods, the original and clone (or clones) are identical at the geometry level. Where the methods vary is in the way they handle modifiers (for example, Bend or Twist).
Overview of Copies, Instances, and References and master object with the other instances. The data flow for an instance branches just after evaluating object modifiers. When you change one instance by applying or adjusting a modifier, for example, all the other instances change with it. Within 3ds Max, instances derive from the same master object. What you’re doing "behind the scenes" is applying a single modifier to a single master object.
474 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays and have all the other characters take on the same feature. You could give the original character a very pointed head, then apply a separate Taper to some referenced characters to reduce the point toward normal. For swimming fish, you might choose to make all members of the school as referenced objects based on a single, original fish.
Techniques for Cloning Objects You need a working knowledge of transform features to take full advantage of Shift +Clone. See Using Transforms (page 1–424). Snapshot of a spiral stair, or the battlements along a castle wall. Array gives you precise control over all three transforms and in all three dimensions, including the ability to scale along one or more axes. It is the combination of transforms and dimensions, coupled with different centers, that gives you so many options with a single tool.
476 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays Spacing Tool Clone Make a selection. > Edit menu > Clone Make a selection. > Hold down Shift key. > Move, rotate, or scale the selection with the mouse. The Spacing Tool distributes the vases along the sides of the curved street. The Spacing Tool distributes along a path defined by a spline or pair of points. You define a path by picking a spline or two points and by setting a number of parameters.
Clone Options Dialog by holding down the Shift key as you transform the selection. Interface Procedures To clone an object without transforming it: 1. Select an object, or set of objects. 2. From the Edit menu, choose the Clone command. 3. The Clone Options dialog opens. Note: All options are present except Number Of Copies. 4. Change the settings or accept the defaults, and then click OK. Each new, cloned object occupies the same space as the original. Select a clone by name to move or modify it.
478 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays hierarchy. With instanced transform controllers, you can change the transform animation of one set of linked children, and automatically have the change affect any cloned sets. This allows you to animate all clones identically with a single animation setup. For example, consider a scene containing three objects named Torso, Thigh, and Calf. The objects are linked hierarchically so that Torso is the parent of Thigh and Thigh is the parent of Calf.
Cloning with Shift +Move Cloning with Shift +Scale (page 1–481) Animating Shift +Clone You can animate any Shift +Clone operation. See Animating with Shift +Rotate and Shift +Scale (page 1–482). Cloning Without Transforming Cloning objects with Shift +Clone requires transforming them at the same time, by moving, rotating, or scaling them. In some cases, you might want to clone an object without transforming it in any way.
480 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays a major axis of the home grid, then group the pickets, rotate them to a particular angle, and move them into position. You can also make three-dimensional arrays with Shift +Move. The main choice is the combination of axes to allow movement off the construction plane. For example, to build a stairway, you can create a box that forms the top step, then use Shift +Move to copy it diagonally downward, using an array to create a downward flight.
Cloning with Shift +Scale You can move the local pivot any distance from the object, creating large circular arrays. Since direct animation is limited to the local pivot, this is a key technique in animating circular arrays. See Animating Shift +Rotate and Shift +Scale (page 1–482). Selection Center For either single or multiple objects, the selection center is the geometric center of the bounding box (page 3–919) enclosing the entire selection.
482 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays spacing increases or decreases proportionately with respect to the transform center. choosing Axis Constraints from the Customize Display right-click menu (page 3–787). Nested Copies When the selection center is used as the transform center for a single object, scaling occurs symmetrically around that center, producing nested copies. • As you scale in toward the center, smaller and smaller copies are created.
Cloning Objects Over Time with Snapshot • For Shift +Rotate, the dummy’s center becomes the pivot. • For Shift +Scale, the dummy and selected objects scale together toward the center of the dummy. For details of dummy object use in hierarchies, see Using Dummy Objects (page 2–429). Offsetting the Local Pivot In this procedure, you move the object’s pivot to the center of rotation or scale. This works much like using a dummy object. To offset the local pivot: 1.
484 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays Like other clone techniques, Snapshot creates copies, instances, or references. You can also choose a mesh option. To clone an object with Snapshot, the object must already be animated. You can use Snapshot from any frame on the path. The Auto Key button has no effect on Snapshot, since Snapshot creates static clones, not animation. This is the general procedure: To clone an object with Snapshot: 1. Select an object with an animation path, or a particle system.
Using the Array Dialog Reuse of Array Settings Generally you should approach Array creation as an iterative process. The dialog settings are not interactive, so you get feedback only after creating the array. By revising the current settings and repeating the array, you develop a solution that meets your needs. After creating an array and checking its result, you can undo the array using Edit menu > Undo Create Array or Ctrl+Z . This leaves the original selection set in place.
486 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays Move, Rotate, and Scale Transforms You set Move, Rotate, and Scale parameters along any of the three axes of the current coordinate system. • Move is set in current units. Use a negative value to create the array in the negative direction of the axis. • Rotate is set in degrees. Use a negative value to create the array in a clockwise direction around the axis. • Scale is set as a percentage. 100 percent is full size.
Creating Linear Arrays A one-dimensional array, with 1D Count=6 2D: Two-dimensional arrays form a layer of objects along two dimensions, like the rows of squares on a chess board. 2D Count is the number of rows in the array. A three-dimensional array, with 1D Count=10, 2D Count=6, 3D Count=3 Incremental Row Offsets These parameters become available when you choose a 2D or 3D array. These are distances along any of the three axes of the current coordinate system.
488 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays • Click OK to create a linear array along the chosen axis, with the number of objects specified by Count. 2D and 3D Linear Arrays Arrays in 2D and 3D have the same Array Transformation group setup as 1D, with the addition of Incremental Row Offsets settings for moving the additional dimensions apart. • Set 2D or 3D and enter a Count value. Examples of linear arrays For an explanation of interface terms used here, see Using the Array Dialog (page 1–485).
Creating Circular and Spiral Arrays you add rotation to a linear array, the choice of transform center becomes important. Using Scale in Linear Arrays If you turn on Uniform, only the Scale X field is active; the Y and Z fields are unavailable. The X value is applied as uniform scaling on all axes of the arrayed objects.
490 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays Circular Arrays This is the total rotation for the array, a complete circle. To create a partial circle, enter a smaller value. 5. Choose 1D and enter a Count value (this can be any number) and click OK. 3ds Max arrays that number of clones within the total rotational angle you specify. Spiral Arrays A circular array Circular arrays are similar to linear arrays, but based on rotation around a common center rather than movement along an axis.
Mirroring Objects Reorienting an Array Mirrored Arrays By default, each object, when copied into the array, rotates around its own center to follow the main rotation around the common center. This is controlled by the Re-Orient option. You can combine the Mirror and Array tools by using them in succession. An entire array can be mirrored, or you can set up mirrored objects before creating an array. To cause objects to maintain their original orientation while being rotated, turn off Re-Orient.
492 Chapter 7: Creating Copies and Arrays The parameters available for Count, Spacing, Start Offset, and End Offset depend on the spacing option you choose. 5. Specify the number of objects to distribute by entering a Count value, or by using the spinner. 6. Depending on the spacing option you choose, adjust the spacing and offsets. 7. In the Context group, choose one of the following: The Spacing Tool distributes the vases along the sides of the curved street.
Modifiers Modifiers provide a way for you to sculpt and edit objects. They can change the geometry of an object, and its properties. • You can move and copy modifiers to other objects using controls in the modifier stack display (page 3–760). • The order or sequence in which you add modifiers is important. Each modifier affects those that come after it.
494 Chapter 8: Modifiers The transforms of an object are expressed as a matrix of values that contain the following information: • Position of the object center in world space • Rotation of the object in world space • Scale of the object along its local axes The matrix is called the transformation matrix, and its information relates directly to the transforms Move, Rotate, and Scale. Applying one of these transforms alters the values in the transformation matrix. Transforms have the following properties.
Transforms, Modifiers, and Object Data Flow Diagram of data flow Object creation parameters in the Modify panel and Track View Master Object Master object refers to an object defined by a set of creation parameters and the original position and orientation of its pivot point. You never see the master object.
496 Chapter 8: Modifiers The effect of transforms is independent of the order in which they are applied. The order in which you apply modifiers, on the other hand, does affect the resulting geometry. If you want to apply a transform that is evaluated in a specific order in the modifier stack, use the XForm modifier (page 1–959). Object modifiers in the Modify panel and Track View Transforming a modified object Space Warps Space warps (page 2–55) are evaluated after transforms.
List of Available Modifiers 1–117), such as shadow-casting properties; and materials you have applied to the object. This is the end of the data flow, and the result is the named object you see in your scene. Right-click an object and choose Properties to display its Object Properties dialog.
498 Chapter 8: Modifiers Lathe Modifier (page 1–707) Preserve Modifier (page 1–766) Lattice Modifier (page 1–709) Projection Modifier (page 1–769) Linked XForm Modifier (page 1–712) Projection Holder Modifier (page 1–778) LS Colors Modifier (World Space) (page 1–550) Push Modifier (page 1–779) LS Mesh Modifier (page 1–713) Relax Modifier (page 1–779) MapScaler Modifier (Object Space) (page 1–713) Renderable Spline Modifier (page 1–781) MapScaler Modifier (World Space) (page 1–551) Ripple Modi
Using Modifiers Sweep Modifier (page 1–848) Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects (page 1–506) Symmetry Modifier (page 1–861) Modifying at the Sub-Object Level (page 1–506) Taper Modifier (page 1–863) Using the Stack at the Sub-Object Level (page 1–508) Tessellate Modifier (page 1–865) Trim/Extend Modifier (page 1–866) TurboSmooth Modifier (page 1–868) Modifying Multiple Objects (page 1–509) How Instanced Modifiers Work (page 1–511) Turn To Mesh Modifier (page 1–871) Turn To Patch Modifier (page 1–87
500 Chapter 8: Modifiers The objects creation parameters appear in rollouts on the Modify panel, below the modifier stack display. You can use these rollouts to change the creation parameters for an object. As you change them, the object updates in the viewports. 3. Apply a modifier to an object (described in the next procedure). After you apply a modifier, it becomes active, and rollouts below the modifier stack display settings specific to the active modifier. To apply a modifier to an object: 1.
Using the Modify Panel Using Modifiers Once you’ve applied modifiers to an object, you can use the Modifier Stack (page 3–760) to find a particular modifier, change its parameters, edit its sequence in the modifier stack, copy its settings to another object, or delete it entirely. You can find a complete, alphabetical list of modifiers in List of Available Modifiers (page 1–497). General Guidelines You can generally do the following with the Modify panel: • Modify anything you can select.
502 Chapter 8: Modifiers Using the Modifier Stack The modifier stack and its editing dialog are the keys to managing all aspects of modification. You use these tools to: • Find a particular modifier and adjust its parameters. • View and manipulate the sequence of modifiers. • Copy, cut, and paste modifiers between objects, or sets of objects. • Deactivate the effect of a modifier in the stack, the viewport display, or both. • Select a modifier’s components, such as gizmo or center. • Delete modifiers.
Using the Modifier Stack changes you make ripple upward through the stack, changing the current state of the object. Adding Multiple Modifiers You can apply any number of modifiers to an object, including repeated applications of the same modifier. As you start applying object modifiers to an object, the modifiers "stack up" in the order they’re applied. The first modifier appears just above the object type at the bottom of the stack.
504 Chapter 8: Modifiers for object-space types, the paste occurs at the top of the world-space section. The reverse is also true. Editing the Stack You can copy, cut, and paste modifiers within an object’s stack, or into the stacks of other objects. Among other features, you can give modifiers explicit names to help you remember the intended effect. To edit the stack: 1. Choose an item in the stack. 2. Right-click.
Editing the Stack • If you click Yes, the two trees become independent of one another. Each has a unique copy of the modifier and can be bent separately. • If you click No, the two trees continue to share the same instanced modifier, but separately from the instance in the original group. The two trees can be bent together. See How Instanced Modifiers Work (page 1–511).
506 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit Modifiers and Editable Objects To achieve highly detailed modeling effects, you can directly transform, modify, and align the geometry of objects at a sub-object level (page 3–1017), using the Modify panel (page 3–758). The following table shows the different object types and their respective sub-objects.
Modifying at the Sub-Object Level hierarchy, showing the names of the sub-object levels at which you can work. 3. On the stack display, choose the kind of sub-object geometry you want to work with: for example, Vertex, Face, or Edge. Each sub-object selection level has rollouts with their own sets of options. The sub-object level highlight is yellow by default. 4. Use standard selection techniques to select sub-object geometry, from a single sub-object to the entire object.
508 Chapter 8: Modifiers To transform a sub-object selection made with a Select modifier: 1. Add an XForm modifier (page 1–959) to the stack, following (or somewhere above) the Select modifier. 2. In the stack, open the Select modifier and make a sub-object selection. 3. Choose XForm in the stack. You then transform the XForm gizmo, which applies the transform to the selection. Selecting and Transforming Modifier Components Most modifiers have sub-object components, such as a gizmo and center.
Modifying Multiple Objects To return the stack to object level: 1. At any point in the stack, apply another Mesh Select modifier. 2. Leave this Mesh Select modifier at the top level (the object level, which highlights in gray). Any modifiers already on the stack above this modifier no longer show the sub-object icon. Any modifiers you add above the second Mesh Select now apply to the whole object. 3. To continue sending the sub-object selection up the stack, delete the second Mesh Select.
510 Chapter 8: Modifiers The Principle of Commonality When you select multiple objects, 3ds Max determines what the particular selected set of geometry has in common, if anything. Given any "commonality" among objects, 3ds Max presents the options as available modifiers. Unavailable modifiers represent areas where commonality does not hold. Original objects You can apply modifiers to different categories of objects, depending on the modifier.
How Instanced Modifiers Work and modifies the selection as a whole. For a Z-axis bend, trees at the end of a line would deform more than those at the center where the pivot is located. Tip: Choose the pivot setting before you apply the modifier. You can’t change the pivot point afterward, although you can delete the modifier and start over without deselecting the selection set. Instanced Modifiers When you apply a modifier to multiple objects, each object receives an identical version of the modifier.
512 Chapter 8: Modifiers To make multiple modifier instances unique: 1. Select two or more objects with the same instanced modifier. The stack now shows what the objects have in common. 2. Choose the instanced modifier in the stack. There can be more than one instanced modifier in this stack. Click the one you want to make unique for each of the selected objects. 3. Changing the parameter of an instanced modifier for one object affects all the objects sharing the modifier.
Camera Map Modifier (World Space) You apply world-space modifier like you apply standard object-space modifier. You can access world-space modifiers from the Modifiers menu, the Modifier List in the Modify panel, and applicable modifier sets (page 3–771). A world-space modifier is indicated by either an asterisk or the letters “WSM” next to its name. (The asterisk or “WSM” distinguishes the world-space version from the object-space version of the same modifier, if one exists.
514 Chapter 8: Modifiers Displace Mesh Modifier (World Space) Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > World-Space Modifiers > * Displace Mesh The Displace Mesh world-space modifier (World Space) lets you see the effect of displacement mapping (page 2–1511) on editable mesh objects (page 1–996) and objects with a Disp Approx modifier (page 1–628) applied to them. If a displacement map is applied to the object, the mesh shows the effect of the displacement map.
Displace NURBS Modifier (World Space) updated automatically because that can become extremely time consuming. Custom Settings—When turned off, Displace Mesh uses default settings to subdivide the mesh for the purposes of displacement mapping. When turned on, the subdivision controls in this rollout are enabled. Default=off. Custom Settings and Subdivision Displacement are both turned on. They are identical to the surface approximation controls (page 1–1239) for NURBS surfaces.
516 Chapter 8: Modifiers updated automatically because that could become extremely time consuming. Viewport—Uses the tessellation that the NURBS object currently uses in viewports. Renderer—Uses the tessellation that the NURBS object currently uses for the renderer. Custom—Set the tessellation directly in the Tessellation Method group box. Base Surface, Surface Edge, Displaced Surface, and Lock—These controls are the same as in the surface approximation controls (page 1–1239) for NURBS objects.
Hair And Fur Modifier you want to grow hair from: either a mesh object or a spline object. If object is a mesh, the hair grows from the entire surface unless you make a sub-object selection. If the object is a spline, hair grows between the splines. When you select an object modified by Hair And Fur, hair is displayed in viewports. The hair itself as displayed in the viewports is not selectable, though hair guides are selectable when you work at the Guides sub-object level or style hair (see below).
518 Chapter 8: Modifiers Tip: To check the numerical order of splines, go to the Editable Spline level of the modifier stack and access the Spline sub-object level. Then click each spline in turn and check its ID number at the bottom of the Selection rollout. It also can help to make sure that each spline’s first vertex is where the hair roots should be. Guide Hairs Storing and manipulating millions of dynamic, simulated hairs is demanding on today’s technology.
Hair And Fur Modifier Copying and pasting the Hair And Fur modifier automatically adjusts the hair scaling. Copying from a large object to a small object, for instance, results in a smaller default size in the copied modifier. If you copy an object that has Hair And Fur in its modifier stack, Hair will also copy the modifier’s data to a new modifier that will track the new object. Textures, Vertex Maps, and Shaders After guides have been styled, hair is interpolated between neighboring guide pairs.
520 Chapter 8: Modifiers If supported lights exist in the scene, by default they are used to light the hair, and the internal default omni light is not used. This is because in the Hair And Fur render effect (page 3–220), the Use All Lights At Render Time option is on by default. Also, any supported lights set to cast shadow-mapped shadows will cast shadows from rendered hair.
Selection Rollout (Hair and Fur) To apply hair to a limited area of a high-resolution object: Kink Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) (page 1–542) An efficient working method for applying hair to part of a high-poly-count object is to use a low-poly proxy object. Multi Strand Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) (page 1–544) 1. Create the object to which you wish to apply hair. Dynamics Rollout (Hair and Fur) (page 1–545) Display Rollout (Hair and Fur) (page 1–549) 2.
522 Chapter 8: Modifiers than one sub-object under the cursor, repeated clicking cycles through them. Likewise, with Ignore Backfacing off, region selection includes all sub-objects, regardless of the direction they face. Note: The state of the Backface Cull setting on the Display panel does not affect sub-object selection. Thus, if Ignore Backfacing is off, you can still select sub-objects, even if you can’t see them. Named Selection Set group Copy—Places a named selection into the copy buffer.
Tools Rollout (Hair and Fur) Update Selection to view the results of a change in sub-object selection. Compare this with the previous illustration, in which the pivot rests at the base of the source object. Tools Rollout (Hair and Fur) Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied.
524 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Increasing Root Thick affects the overall thickness of the hair geometry. From left to right: Root Thick = 2.0, 10.0, 20.0, and 30.0 The final illustration, below, shows how the instanced hair aligns itself faithfully to the guides, no matter how they’re styled. The styled hair was brushed from the center, and the instances align perfectly in all directions, face up, without twisting or other distortion. This makes it easy to style instances as scales, for example.
Tools Rollout (Hair and Fur) Load—Opens the Hair Presets dialog, which contains a list of presets in the form of named swatches. To load a preset, double-click its swatch. Several sample presets are included with 3ds Max. Hair and guides are recombed by the spline object (white). Reset Rest—Performs an averaging of hair guides using the growth mesh’s connectivity. This function is particularly useful after using Recomb From Splines.
526 Chapter 8: Modifiers from the original object, but all hairs created from it are instances of each other, to save memory. Note: Hair does not use animation from instance objects. If an object is animated, Hair uses its state at the first animation frame. Pick—To specify a hair object, click the Pick button and then pick an object to use. Thereafter, the button shows the name of the object you picked.
Styling Rollout (Hair and Fur) Styling with Hair Guides Styling tools aren’t available until you click Style Hair to turn it on, or choose the Guides sub-object level in either the Selection rollout or the modifier stack. Each guide hair has 15 segments and 14 vertices (there’s an additional, non-selectable vertex at the root); for a tool to affect a guide, at least one of its vertices must be selected.
528 Chapter 8: Modifiers tool is Translate. Turning on Style Hair turns on the Guides sub-object level in the Selection rollout (page 1–521), and vice versa. Selection group Select Hair by Ends—You can select only the vertex at the end of each guide hair. Select Whole Guide—(The default.) Selecting any vertex on a guide hair selects all vertices on the guide hair. When you first turn on Style Hair, Hair activates this mode and selects all vertices of all guide hairs.
Styling Rollout (Hair and Fur) Rotate Selection—Rotates the selection in space. Expand Selection—Expands the selection by growing its area incrementally. Hide Selected—Hides selected guide hairs. Tip: If interactive styling in viewports seems to be slow, try hiding those guides you aren’t working on. Show Hidden—Unhides any hidden guide In the active viewport, the brush appears to be a circle. hairs. Styling group Hair Brush—(The default.
530 Chapter 8: Modifiers 5. Position the brush circle over hairs to cut, and then click to cut the hairs. Hairs with vertices inside the brush circle are shortened so that their endpoints touch the brush circle. Note: Cutting hair doesn’t actually remove vertices; it only scales the guide hairs. You can restore guide hairs to their original length with Scale or one of the Pop commands. Translate—Moves selected vertices in the direction that you drag the mouse.
Styling Rollout (Hair and Fur) Left: Hair guides before rotating Right: Hair guides after rotating (at the forelock) Scale—Scales selected guides larger (drag mouse rightward) or smaller (drag mouse leftward). Left: Hair guides before using Pop Selected Right: Hair guides after using Pop Selected Pop Zero-Sized—Works like Pop Selected, but only operates on zero-length hairs.
532 Chapter 8: Modifiers Locked vertices are no longer dynamic, although they will follow whatever the surface does, but if other vertices on the same guides aren’t locked, they can still move freely, as usual. Left: Hair guides in their default position Unlock—Unlocks all locked guide hairs. Right: Hair guides after clicking Recomb Undo—Reverses the most recent action. Reset Rest—Performs an averaging of hair guides using the growth mesh’s connectivity.
Quad Menu for Hair Styling Interface Styling quadrant The choices in this quadrant are shortcuts to most of the controls in the Styling group: • Ignore Back • Soft Falloff • Scale • Rotate • Clump • Puff • Stand • Translate • Cut To exit Cut mode and return to the hair brush, choose one of the other styling modes in this quadrant.
534 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Root General Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. > Modify panel > General Parameters rollout This rollout lets you set the hair count and density, the length, thickness at the root and tip, and various other comprehensive parameters. Interface Top: Hair Count=1000 Bottom: Hair Count=9000 By default, Hair normalizes density to surface area; that is, larger polygons receive more hairs than smaller ones.
General Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) actual number of rendered hairs as well, although the apparent density, or fill, seems about the same because of the additional transparency. Render time also increases linearly. Top: Density=100.
536 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: The default size of the hairs depends on the size of the object to which the modifier is applied. The larger the object, the greater the initial size. Cut Length—The numeric value sets the overall hair length as a percentage multiplier of the Scale value. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Tip Thick—Controls the thickness of the hair at its tip. This setting affects native hair only, not instanced hair.
Material Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) object, up to the limit imposed by the Hair Count setting. Default=on. Interface Material Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. > Modify panel > Material Parameters rollout The parameters on this rollout apply to buffer-rendered hair generated by Hair. In the case of geometry-rendered hair, the hair coloring is derived from the growth object.
538 Chapter 8: Modifiers base. The UVW mapping used for the texture is the same as that of the growth object. For results closest to the map colors, set Tip Color and Root Color to white. Alternatively, set a different color to tint the map coloring. Left: The texture map used for the hair (center and right) Center: The map applied to Tip Color and Root Color causes the hair to use the same coloring. Left: Occluded Amb=0.0 Right: Occluded Amb=100.0 Both: Color=white, Self Shadow=50.
Material Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) Mutant Color—The color for mutant hairs. Mutant hairs are randomly selected, based on the Mutant % value (see following), and receive this color. One example of mutant hairs are the gray hairs that appear as we age. Mutant %—The percentage of hairs that receive the mutant color (see above). You can animate the Mutant % value to produce, for example, a rapidly aging character. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Left: Specular=0.0, Glossiness=0.
540 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: You can adjust the shadow characteristics by changing the Hair Light Attr rollout (page 2–1351) settings for lights that illuminate the hair. Interface Geom. Shadow—The amount of shadow contribution hair receives from geometry in the scene. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Geom. Mat. ID—The material ID assigned to geometry-rendered hair. Default=1. Apply mr Shader—When on, lets you apply a mental ray shader to generate hair.
Frizz Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) All Frizz/Kink settings=0.0; this reference image provided for comparison with the Frizz and Kink illustrations (below). Interface 1. Frizz Root/Tip=0.0 2. Frizz Root=50.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=14.0 3. Frizz Root=150.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=60.0 4. Frizz Tip=30.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=14.0 5. Frizz Root=50.0, Frizz Root=100.0, Frizz X/Y/Z Freq=60.0 Frizz actually calculates two noise fields, both of which use the same frequency settings and tip/root amplitudes.
542 Chapter 8: Modifiers Frizz X/Y/Z Anim. Dir(ection)—Sets the direction vector of the frizz animation. Default=0.0. Range=–1.0 to 1.0. This vector is not normalized before use. This means that you can apply small tweaks to the values to achieve fine control over the speed of the animation on a given axis. To reduce confusion it’s a good idea to keep these directions either –1, 0, or 1.
Kink Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) Kink Root=0.5, Kink Tip=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=4.0 Top: Styled Bottom: Unstyled 1. All settings=0.0 (no kink) 2. Kink Root=0.5 (rest=0.0) 3. Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=4.0, Kink Tip—Controls the amount of kink displacement of the hair at its tip. Default=0.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0 4. Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.0, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=50.0, Interface Top: Styled, Kink Tip=10.0, Kink Root=0.5, Kink X/Y/Z Freq=50.
544 Chapter 8: Modifiers Multi Strand Parameters Rollout (Hair and Fur) Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. > Modify panel > Multi Strand Parameters rollout Some degree of clumping gets naturally created when you use Frizz at low frequencies, but you can go a bit further here with the Multi Strand parameters. For each hair that is normally rendered, Multi Strand renders a clump of additional hairs scattered around the original hair.
Dynamics Rollout (Hair and Fur) The hair resumes its default position, growing straight out of the object. Dynamics Rollout (Hair and Fur) Select an object with the Hair And Fur modifier applied. > Modify panel > Dynamics rollout 5. Click the Play Animation button. 6. The hair settles and droops, as if affected by For hair to seem natural in an animation, it must respond to the motion of the body it’s attached to and to external influences such as wind and gravity.
546 Chapter 8: Modifiers 4. In the Stat Files group, click the ellipsis (...) button. Use the Save As dialog to specify the location and name of the stat files to be generated. Note: When you run the simulation, Hair will generate a separate stat file for each animation frame. Important: If you plan to render the animation with a networked render farm, make sure the path you specify can be seen in exactly the same way from each node on the render farm.
Dynamics Rollout (Hair and Fur) Interface Mode group Chooses the method Hair uses to generate dynamics. Live mode is suitable for experimentation, but for best results when rendering animation with Hair, use Precomputed mode. • None—Hair doesn’t simulate dynamics. • Live—Hair simulates dynamics interactively in the viewports, but doesn’t generate animation keyframes or stat files for the dynamics. For best results with Live mode, turn off Display rollout > Display Hairs group > As Geometry.
548 Chapter 8: Modifiers a precomputed dynamics simulation with Hair: (page 1–545). software then computes the dynamics and saves the stat files. Text field—Displays the path and file name for the Start—The first frame to consider in calculating stat files. the simulation. ... (ellipsis) button—Click to choose a name prefix End—The final frame to consider in calculating and location for stat files using the Save As dialog. the simulation.
Display Rollout (Hair and Fur) Collisions group Use these settings to determine which objects hair collides with during a dynamic simulation and the method by which collision is calculated. • None—Collisions are not considered during the dynamic simulation. This can cause the hair to penetrate its growth object as well as other objects it comes into contact with. • Sphere—Hair uses a spherical bounding box to calculate collisions.
550 Chapter 8: Modifiers Guide Color—Click to display the Color Selector and change the color used to display guides. Guides do not reflect some settings made to the hair, such as Frizz. Use the Guides display mainly to see where hair will appear on the growth object. Hair places one guide at each vertex on the growth surface. irradiances; that is, they describe the intensity of light falling on a mesh in physical units. This modifier converts the physical units to RGB colors.
MapScaler Modifier (World Space) Use exposure control—When on, disregards the Use self-illumination—When on, the material’s self settings of Brightness, Contrast, Daylight, and Exterior, and instead uses the settings of the active exposure control. If no exposure control is active in the scene, this toggle is disabled. Default=off. illumination is included in the final vertex colors. Default=on. The three radio buttons that follow choose how to handle irradiance values.
552 Chapter 8: Modifiers MapScaler to any object, the results are less realistic on curved surfaces, especially complex ones, which can show cracks in the finished texture. Interface walls will map smoothly while sharp corners get a new texture origin. This switch is only available when the Wrap Textures switch is turned on. Default=off. Channel—Specifies the map channel (page 3–966). Default=1. Up Direction group World Z Axis—Aligns the map with the Z axis of the world.
PathDeform Modifier (World Space) section, this world-space modifier works the same as the object-space PathDeform modifier (page 1–755). Procedures The first two examples, below, demonstrate the basic differences in orientation and the relationship between the object and its path when using the PathDeform modifier and the PathDeform (WSM) modifier. 6. In the Path Deform Axis group, choose the Y option, and then the X option.
554 Chapter 8: Modifiers The text object is transformed so that its local Z axis is aligned with the path and its position is at the first vertex of the path. Example: To create a growing vine: In the following steps, you’ll use various controls to re-orient the text object so that it’s at the front of the circle and readable from the Front viewport. 5. Choose the X option in the Path Deform Axis group to place the length of the text object along the path. 6.
Point Cache Modifier (World Space) 7. In the stack, click Cone, and then in the Parameters rollout increase the Height Segments setting until the stretched cone is smooth on the path. 8. Play the animation. The cone grows along the path, like a vine. Interface Since this is a world-space rather than an object-space modifier, the object is affected in world space coordinates, and also affected by the relative position of the path to the object.
556 Chapter 8: Modifiers mesh after it is transformed into world space coordinates. Surface Mapper Modifier (World Space) Make a selection. > Modify panel > Modifier List > World-Space Modifiers > * Surface Mapper The software now uses the NURBS surface’s normals to project the texture onto the modified objects. Tip: To fine-tune the map placement on the mesh, you can use the NURBS surface’s Edit Texture Surface dialog (page 1–1230).
SurfDeform Modifier (World Space) Map Channels group These controls let you choose which map channels (page 3–966) to use. Input Channel—Selects the NURBS surface map channel to use before projection. Output Channel—Selects the modified object’s When you apply an object-space modifier, it appears directly above the object with other object-space modifiers in the modifier stack (page 3–760). The order in which the modifiers appear in the stack can affect the resulting geometry.
558 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: The Affect Region modifier is ideal for simple animated effects, especially when you need to use interactive parameters. However, for fine-tuned modeling, you’ll probably prefer the expanded capabilities of Soft Selection (page 1–963) in Editable Mesh (page 1–996), Editable Poly (page 1–1022), Edit Mesh (page 1–634), Mesh Select (page 1–719), Volume Select (page 1–952), the HSDS modifier (page 1–701), and NURBS (page 1–1089).
Attribute Holder Modifier Curve group Pinch—Affects the tangency of the curve where it meets the arrow tip. Positive values produce a pointed tip while negative values produce a dimple. (Spinner value range: float, -999,999.0 to 999,999.0) Bubble—Changes the curvature of the affected vertices. A value of 1.0 produces a half-dome. As you reduce this value, the sides of the dome slope more steeply. Negative values lower the base of the curve below the base of the arrow gizmo.
560 Chapter 8: Modifiers A rubber-band dashed line appears connecting the mouse cursor to the box. 11. You can’t connect this “wire” directly to the custom attribute, so just left-click in an empty part of the viewport to open the Parameter Wiring dialog. The hierarchy list on the left side, Box01, is expanded to the box’s Height parameter, which is highlighted. as many different parameters from different levels in an object’s modifier stack, or even from different objects, as you like.
Bend Modifier 2. On the Parameters rollout, set the axis of the bend to X, Y, or Z. This is the axis of the Bend gizmo, not the axis of the selected object. You can switch between axes at any time, but the modifier carries only one axis setting. 3. Set the angle of the bend along the chosen axis. The object bends to this angle. 4. Set the direction of the bend. The object swivels around the axis.
562 Chapter 8: Modifiers Limits group Procedure Limit Effect—Applies limit constraints to the bend effect. Default=off. Example: To create beveled text: Upper Limit—Sets the upper boundary in world units from the bend center point beyond which the bend no longer affects geometry. Default=0. Range=0 to 999,999.0. Lower Limit—Sets the lower boundary in world units from the bend center point beyond which the bend no longer affects geometry. Default=0. Range=-999,999.0 to 0.
Bevel Modifier Interface Start—Caps the end with the lowest local Z value Parameters rollout (bottom) of the object. When turned off, the bottom is open. End—Caps the end with the highest local Z value (top) of the object. When turned off, the end is left open. Cap Type group Two radio buttons set the type of cap used. Morph—Creates cap faces suitable for morphing. Grid—Creates cap faces in a grid pattern. This cap type deforms and renders better than morph capping.
564 Chapter 8: Modifiers Keep Lines From Crossing—Prevents outlines from crossing over themselves. This is accomplished by inserting extra vertices in the outline and replacing sharp corners with a flat line segment. Rounding and smoothing the bevel object sides Smooth Across Levels—Controls whether smoothing groups are applied to the sides of a beveled object. Caps always use a different smoothing group than the sides.
Bevel Profile Modifier A beveled object requires a minimum of two levels: a start and an end. You add more levels to vary the amount and direction of bevel from start to end. Traditional beveled text uses all levels with these typical conditions: You can think of bevel levels as layers on a cake. The Start Outline is the bottom of the cake and the Level 1 parameters define the height and size of the first layer. • Level 1 Outline is a positive value.
566 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Modifier Stack For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760). Parameters rollout Bevel Profile creates an object using an open spline. Bevel Profile creates an object using a closed spline, yielding a different result. Procedure Bevel Profile group To use the Bevel Profile modifier: Pick Profile—Selects a shape or NURBS curve to be used for the profile path. 1. Create the shape you want to bevel (preferably in the Top viewport). 2.
Camera Map Modifier (Object Space) Capping group Start—Caps the bottom of the extruded shape. End—Caps the top of the extruded shape. Cap Type group Morph—Selects a deterministic method of capping that provides the same number of vertices for morphing between objects. Grid—Creates gridded caps that are better for cap deformations. Intersections group Keep Lines From Crossing—Prevents beveled surfaces from self intersecting.
568 Chapter 8: Modifiers complexity of the geometry. (In general, for a box object that’s filling a quarter of the screen, a tessellation of 4x4x4 works well.) Note: When using the Camera Map modifier, apply the modifier to a single object at a time. If it’s applied to a selection set, only the first item in the selection will be mapped properly. Use Camera Map (WSM) (page 1–513) if you want to move the camera and maintain the match to the background. Using the Plate Match/MAX R2.
Cap Holes Modifier 4. In the Aspect Ratio group, choose Match Rendering Output. 5. Turn on Display Background, and click OK. The dialog is dismissed and the map is displayed in the viewport. The mapped object is camouflaged against the background in the rendered scene. Interface To assign a mapped material to the object: 1. In the Material Editor, create a standard material to whose Diffuse component you’ve assigned the same bitmap as you assigned to the background. 2.
570 Chapter 8: Modifiers The Cap Holes modifier builds faces in the holes in a mesh object. A hole is defined as a loop of edges, each of which has only one face. For example, one or more missing faces from a sphere would produce one or more holes. The modifier works best on reconstructing planar holes, but can do a reasonable job on non-planar holes as well. Note: This modifier can cap holes in a sub-object selection passed up the stack.
Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers See also Cloth and Garment Maker Modifiers Cloth Overview (page 1–571) Cloth Overview Cloth is an advanced cloth-simulation engine that lets you create realistic garments for your characters and other creations. Cloth is designed to work in concert with the modeling tools in 3ds Max and can turn just about any 3D object into clothing; it also allows you to build garments from scratch.
572 Chapter 8: Modifiers that, by its very nature, cloth simulation is only an approximation of how real fabric would react under certain circumstances; this system does have some limitations. One of the most important aspects of working with Cloth is the amount of time it can take to create a simulation. If you’re looking to create a fully physically correct simulation, you might run into problems.
Cloth Overview shape is a little larger than the front to account for the hips and buttocks. on the back piece is higher than the collar on the front. You sew seams up the sides and at the shoulders, leaving the arm hole open. The shapes are sewn together at the sides to form a simple skirt. You can also add sleeves to the shirt. A sleeve pattern is bell-shaped. The bottom edge of a garment is called a hem. In the skirt pattern, the waistline and hem are slightly curved.
574 Chapter 8: Modifiers Each piece is cut twice. The two front pieces are sewn together along the crotch, and the two back pieces are sewn together in the same way. Then the front is attached to the back at the outside seams and inseams. Pants A pants pattern has a curved shape at the top to accommodate the hips. The longer straight edge is the outside seam, while the shorter edge is the inseam. The curve near the top fits around the belly or buttocks, and under the crotch area.
Cloth Overview Darts used to be a common part of women’s everyday clothing, especially in blouses and dresses. However, darts are not needed with loose garments or stretchy clothing. Today, they are used mostly in formal wear and tailored garments. Clothing Design and Techniques One way to create clothing is to lay out a pattern and put it together with Garment Maker. Garment Maker is a modifier that is used to make seams, lay out cloth panels and define fabric densities.
576 Chapter 8: Modifiers apply the HSDS modifier after Cloth on garments created with Garment Maker and subdivide all the triangles once. Note: MeshSmooth does not give good results with Garment Maker meshes. Shirt pattern and shirt sewn together with Garment Maker Modeling Clothing Garment Maker is a useful tool for putting together patterns and adjusting seams, but you can also achieve good results by modeling with the standard 3ds Max tools and using Cloth on top of these meshes.
Cloth Overview at edges between triangles, so the regularity or irregularity of the mesh also dictates the resulting deformation. For example, a plane all of whose triangle hypotenuse edges are aligned will result in a cloth with folds aligned along those edges. Garment Maker creates meshes with an irregular layout (but with fairly equal-sized and close-to-equilateral triangles) that avoids this folding bias.
578 Chapter 8: Modifiers seams. This prevents the mesh from coming apart at the seams as it is subdivided. See also Cloth Modifier (page 1–578) Garment Maker Modifier (page 1–607) Cloth Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Cloth Shown above is how the modifier stack should look when using HSDS. The intermediate Edit Mesh modifier is used to weld the panel edge vertices together.
Cloth Modifier specify what is made of cloth, and what is a solid, collision object. Because Cloth is a modifier, an instance of it is assigned to each object to be included in the Cloth simulation. This includes all cloth and collision objects. Be aware that two cloth objects with two separate applications of the Cloth modifier will not interact with one another. There are a couple of ways to include objects in the simulation: • Select all of the objects at once and apply the Cloth modifier to them.
580 Chapter 8: Modifiers The Simulation Once all of your parameters are set and you’re ready to go, it’s time to simulate. In many cases, you will first perform a local simulation to fit your fabric to your character. Once your fabric is in place, you can simulate over time. Running a simulation in Cloth is very freeform. You are able to make many changes and edits to a simulation, making it more of a work in progress than a click and a “hope for the best” scenario.
Cloth Modifier Cloth Properties group, choose Cloth. Also set U Bend to 500.0. To run a cloth simulation with a networked render farm: This sets V Bend also to 500.0 automatically. A complex cloth simulation can require extensive computation and take a long time. Cloth includes commands that make it easy to run a simulation on a networked machine (part of a render farm), freeing up your machine for working on other parts of the scene.
582 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface The Cloth interface varies depending on the current modifier stack level: Object (page 1–582) or one of the four sub-object levels: • Group (page 1–589) • Panel (page 1–597) • Seams (page 1–601) • Faces (page 1–602) Object rollout The Object rollout is the first rollout you see on the Command panel once you apply the Cloth modifier. It comprises mostly controls to create a Cloth simulation and adjust fabric properties.
Cloth Modifier Cloth Forces— Add forces (that is, space warps in the scene) such as wind to the simulation. Click Cloth Forces to open the Forces dialog. To add forces to the simulation, in the Forces In Scene list on the left side, highlight the forces to add, and then click the > button to move them to the Forces In Simulation list, thus adding them to the simulation. Thereafter, the forces affect all cloth objects in the simulation.
584 Chapter 8: Modifiers When you click this, the simulation is erased; that is, Simulated Frames returns to 1. Delete Object Cache—Deletes the cache for selected non-cloth objects. If an object is simulated as cloth, and is then turned into a collision object (or inactive) via the Object Properties dialog, it will retain the cloth motion in its cache. The Cloth Simulation dialog shows information about the simulation while it’s running. Simulated Frames—Shows the number of frames simulated so far.
Cloth Modifier Tip: To add some natural creasing to your cloth, drop the cloth on the floor, click Grab Target State, and then run the simulation. After clicking Grab Target State and before running the simulation, click Reset State (unless you want the cloth to stay on the floor!). Reset Target State—Resets the default bend angles to the mesh below Cloth in the stack. Note: For Garment Maker (page 1–607) objects, the target bend angles will depend on the output method set in the Garment Maker modifier.
586 Chapter 8: Modifiers procedure, see To run a cloth simulation with a networked render farm: (page 1–581). [text field]—Shows the current path and file name for the cache file. You can edit this field, but the path must exist; the file will be created if necessary. For any cloth object for which you have not specified a file name, Cloth creates one based on the object name. Force UNC Path—If the text field path is to a mapped drive, converts the path to UNC format (page 3–1028).
Cloth Modifier also created when you render with Sim On Render on. Property Assignment group Interpolate—Interpolates between the two different property settings in the Object Properties dialog (page 1–602) (as determined by the Property 1 and Property 2 radio buttons at the top right corner). You can use this slider to animate between these two properties to adjust the type of fabric settings the garment is using.
588 Chapter 8: Modifiers [Gravity value]—The force of gravity in cm/sec2. A negative value applies gravitational force downward. A positive value (i.e., no sign) means gravity will act to move cloth objects upward. The default value is set to be the same as Earth’s gravity: -980.0 cm/sec2. Step—The maximum size of the time step the simulator takes. This value is measured in seconds. The value must be less than the length of one frame (less than 0.033333 for 30 fps animation). A value of 0.
Cloth Modifier The numeric setting specifies the extent to which Cloth tends to avoid self-colliding cloth objects, at the cost of simulation time. Range=0 to 10. Default=1. This is a maximum limit. If Cloth needs fewer calculations to resolve all collisions, it will use fewer. In most cases, a value greater than 1 isn’t necessary. Solid Collision—When on, the simulator takes into account cloth-to-solid object collisions. This is almost always left on.
590 Chapter 8: Modifiers objects in the simulation. And when created, groups can then be given unique properties. For example, a group on a collision object can have a different collision offset from the rest of the object. This is a powerful feature when working with groups. Note: You can select groups of vertices explicitly, with the mouse in the viewports, and you can also specify a soft selection or use a texture map to select vertices using controls on the Group Parameters rollout.
Cloth Modifier Surface—Attaches the selected group to the surface of a collision object in the scene. To use, click Surface, and then select the node for attaching. Tip: This constraint is best suited for when the cloth and the constraining object should be in close proximity, such as with clothing on a character mesh. choose another group. You could use this option to prevent the simulator from processing collisions between cloth and the body under an arm or between the legs.
592 Chapter 8: Modifiers to the center of the nearest triangle that has the requisite Material ID. This could mean that several vertices might be constrained to the center of the same triangle. In this case, you should only use soft constraints. A hard constraint would pull all those cloth vertices to the same exact point on the triangle, which would look strange. Offset—The variance in the distance between a constrained group and its constraining, or target, object. The default value is 1.0 with Rel.
Cloth Modifier Radius—When on, lets you set the radial distance used by the Blob option (see preceding). When off, Blob uses an automatic radial value. Behavior Settings group Behavior Settings—Toggles the availability of the other settings in this group. When off, the other settings have no effect. Which side? If layerB > 0, then to the side indicated by the face normals. If layerB<0 then to the opposite side. The sign of the Layer value indicates what the "outside" of that piece of cloth is.
594 Chapter 8: Modifiers Left: U and V Bend=50, simulating a burlap material Right: U and V Bend=2.5, simulating silk or other light fabric U B-Curve/V B-Curve—Resistance to bending as the fabric folds. The default value of 0 sets the bend resistance to be constant. A setting of 1 makes the fabric very resistant to bending as the angle between triangles approaches 180 degrees. You never want two adjacent triangles to pass through each other, so you can increase this value to prevent this from happening.
Cloth Modifier will only be the sum of the length of all of the sides at rest. A low value will allow this length to be greater then that off all of its sides at rest. This length of stretched sides is not on a one to one basis. One side of the polygon may stretch more then another as long as the total shear value is not exceeded. Density—The weight of the cloth per unit area (in gm/cm2). Higher values mean heavier cloth like denim. Use smaller values for lighter cloth like silk.
596 Chapter 8: Modifiers V Scale—Controls how much to shrink or expand Based on—Displays the preset that the group the cloth along the V direction (as defined by Garment Maker). A value of less than 1 will shrink the fabric at simulation time, while a value of more than 1 will stretch it. properties are based on. When you modify parameters and save a preset, Cloth uses the name of the last preset you loaded as the “Based on” name.
Cloth Modifier The Soft Selection controls apply on a per-group basis to permit soft selection of vertices neighboring the explicitly selected group members. This works the same as soft selection of vertices in other parts of 3ds Max. For details, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963). Alternatively, you can select vertices for a group based on a texture map. Use Texture Map—When on, Cloth uses a texture map to specify a soft selection of vertices that belong to the current group.
598 Chapter 8: Modifiers Presets group Presets—Sets the selected panel’s properties parameters to the preset selected in the drop-down list. Any presets that are built into the system or that have been previously saved and loaded will show up here. Presets have the filename extension .sti. Load—Load presets from a specified location on your hard drive. Click this button and navigate to the directory with your presets to load them into your Cloth Properties.
Cloth Modifier U B-Curve/V B-Curve—Resistance to bending as Thickness—Defines the virtual thickness of a the fabric folds. The default value of 0 sets the bend resistance to be constant. A setting of 1 makes the fabric very resistant to bending as the angle between triangles approaches 180 degrees. You never want two adjacent triangles to pass through each other, so you can increase this value to prevent this from happening. fabric for the purpose of detecting cloth-to-cloth collisions.
600 Chapter 8: Modifiers instabilities. A good value is 0.01 (note: the default is 0.1, but in practice, it seems that this value is too high). Air Res.— Resistance to Air. This value will determine how much the air will effect the cloth. A higher amount of air resistance would be useful for a tightly woven fabric, while a lower amount would be suitable for a loose-knit garment. Dyn. Fric.— Dynamic friction between the cloth and solid objects.
Cloth Modifier Anisotropic—When on, you can set different U and V values for the Bend, B-Curve, and Stretch parameters. The U and V directions are defined by Garment Maker (page 1–607) and do not apply to non-Garment Maker meshes, for which setting different U/V values might result in unexpected behavior. Use Edge Springs—This is an alternative method for calculating stretch. When this option is on, stretch force is based on springs along triangle edges.
602 Chapter 8: Modifiers Enable All—Sets all seams on selected garment to be active. Disable All—Sets all seams on selected garment to be off. This button deactivates the On check box for all seams. position and rotate the faces of your cloth within your scene. Ignore Backfacing—When on, you can select only faces facing you. When off (the default), you can select any faces under the mouse cursor, regardless of visibility or facing.
Object Properties Dialog (Cloth) Objects in Simulation—Lists objects currently included in the simulation. To change an object’s properties, first highlight its name in the list. You can highlight multiple object names using standard methods: Ctrl +click, Shift +click, and dragging. Add Objects—Opens a dialog that lets you select objects from your scene to be added to the Cloth simulation.
604 Chapter 8: Modifiers not to use too large or small values in this field. Very large values will interfere with the natural behavior of the cloth. Very small values will cause the simulator to take too long to calculate. This distance is measured in cm (centimeters) and should be smaller than the size of the triangles that make up the cloth object. A setting of 0.0 will let Cloth automatically assign a reasonable value for thickness. is off.
Object Properties Dialog (Cloth) stretched sides is not on a one to one basis. One side of the polygon may stretch more then another as long as the Seam Force—Not presently used and only kept for backward compatibility with older versions of the former product, called Stitch. This was a global seam strength, but seam strength is now defined on a seam-by-seam basis at the Seams sub-object level.total shear value is not exceeded. Density— The weight of the cloth per unit area (in gm/cm2).
606 Chapter 8: Modifiers by Garment Maker (page 1–607) and do not apply to non-Garment Maker meshes, for which setting different U/V values might result in unexpected behavior. Use Edge Springs—Enables an alternative method for calculating stretch. When on, stretch force is based on springs along triangle edges. When off, the stretch and shear forces are calculated in a more sophisticated manner to more accurately reflect the underlying physics.
Garment Maker Modifier try to push the cloth out of the mesh. This value is measured in 3ds Max units. Offset—The distance maintained between the cloth object and the collision object. A very low value can cause the collision mesh to protrude out from under the cloth. A very high value will look like the fabric is floating on top of the collision object. This value is measured in 3ds Max units. Dyn. Fric.—Dynamic friction between the cloth and this particular solid object.
608 Chapter 8: Modifiers When Garment Maker is assigned, look what happens: Resulting geometry after applying Garment Maker Tip: For best results, when applying Garment Maker to multiple splines, first combine the splines into a single object. Also, to keep your patterns precise, no rounding of boundary edges and corners, you must break the splines at the corner vertices.
Garment Maker Modifier Garment Maker applied to "broken" splines The corners are now preserved. When the user goes to select the edges between the panels to act as seams, they will be selected independently of the other panel edges and highlight in red. This is what you want in order to create seams.
610 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Always create your pattern splines in the Top viewport. Garment Maker assumes that the pattern is laid out this way. • When seaming garments with MultiSegment edges, you must take care of the order in which the seams are made. Note: A MultiSegment comprises two or more individual segments acting as a single segment; you create it with Garment Maker.
Garment Maker Modifier To create an internal seam line, simply specify a Material ID of 2 for the internal spline, which should not be closed. Also, for best results, keep its endpoints away from other splines in the shape. And, as with outside seam lines, an internal spline should not cross over itself or other splines. the separate pieces within the Garment Maker modifier at the Panels sub-object level. 3. Apply the Garment Maker modifier. Set parameters as necessary.
612 Chapter 8: Modifiers 7. Continue to click at each location on your model that corresponds to the highlighted marker on the character outline until you’ve designated all seven points. All seven points are marked on the character model. To finish, right-click in the viewport. 8. Go to the Panels sub-object level and select a The character outline lets you mark points for positioning panels. panel. 6. Click the corresponding point on the front of your model.
Garment Maker Modifier be necessary to do so. Panel Position serves primarily as a starting point for placing panels. 11. Continue selecting panels and placing them, adjusting as necessary. Panel Position=Front Center; Level=Top at shoulder 10. Adjust as necessary. For example, in the above illustration, Level should probably be set to Top At Neck. To correct this, you would choose Top At Neck, and then click Panel Position > Front Center again. All panels placed with Panel Position.
614 Chapter 8: Modifiers Auto mesh—When on, Garment Maker updates the mesh automatically if you change the density or add/remove seams. This setting is active at all sub-object levels, so it’s recommended you leave it on to see changes as you make them. The only time you might want to turn off Auto Mesh is while creating the seams at the Curves sub-object level. Re-meshing can take some time, so you might want to define a number of seams before re-meshing.
Garment Maker Modifier way, if you change the Density value, the mesh will retain its deformation. Once a snapshot has been taken, at the Panel sub-object level, the panels will have the Use Preserved check box on. This means you can move the panels around while maintaining their deformation. Also note that once a snapshot has been taken, Garment Maker automatically chooses the Preserved Surface option. • Flat Panels—Displays all the panels as flat surfaces.
616 Chapter 8: Modifiers you like; to stop, right-click in the viewport, or turn the button off. Note: If you return to marking points later, the software starts again where you left off earlier. The points highlight in this order: 1. Upper Chest 2. Pelvis 3. Neck 4. Right shoulder 5. Left shoulder 6. Right hand 7. Left hand After setting the points, you can use the Panel Position and Level controls at the Panels sub-object level to place the panels automatically.
Garment Maker Modifier Break MultiSegment—Break apart selected MultiSegments. On—Turns the selected seam on or off, making it active or inactive. Crease angle—Creates a crease at the selected seam. The angle value determines the target angle of the crease between the two panels or along an internal seam line (page 1–610) Top: Segments selected Bottom: Seam made between two panels Delete Seam—Deletes selected seam. (Selected seam is colored red). Reverse Seam—Reverses or flips a twisted seam.
618 Chapter 8: Modifiers the creation of such a seam, the Seam Tolerance will need to be increased. The default value is 0.06, which means that the two segment lengths must be within 6 percent of each other’s lengths. Draw Seams—Shows the seams in the viewport; hides them when off. Show Mesh—Shows the mesh in the viewport, or hides it to work on your pattern. When this option is off, the mesh is represented with a bounding box.
Garment Maker Modifier Density—Controls the mesh density of a selected panel. This value is applied as a multiplier of the Main Parameters rollout > Density setting. You can increase the density of a particular panel by raising this value. If Main Parameters rollout > Auto Mesh is off when you change this value, go back to the Main Parameters rollout (Cloth level in modifier stack) and click Mesh It! to update the mesh. For this reason, it is recommended that you leave Auto Mesh on.
620 Chapter 8: Modifiers Deformation group • Right Arm Most controls in this group are available only when one or more panels are selected. • Left Arm Reset—Removes the deformation of the selected to the character’s orientation. panels (restoring the flat state). Level—Sets where the top of the panel should go. Reset All—Removes the deformation from all Garment Maker derives these locations from the locations you specify with the Mark Points On Figure controls. The choices are: panels.
Garment Maker Modifier end up with a twisted seam and will need to use Reverse Seam to untwist it. A twisted seam that needs to be reversed Make MultiSegment—A MultiSegment is a combination of two or more segments that will be treated as one segment for the purpose of creating seams. Select the segments you want to combine then click this button. Note that if the segments are not contiguous, the gaps must be bridged by seams before this MultiSegment can be used in a seam.
622 Chapter 8: Modifiers that it would otherwise have (as defined by the object/panel/vertex group properties). is to delete the original Garment Maker modifier and reapply a new one. Sewing Stiffness—The amount of force with which the panels are pulled together at simulation time. A larger value will pull the panels together harder and faster. Number of boundary curves has changed: Users will get this error if they add or remove splines from the pattern after the initial application of Garment Maker.
CrossSection Modifier • A MultiSegment in the attempted seam contains segments that are not contiguous and that are not linked by any seam. and Cross Section. Using this method, you need to region-select the created vertices to transform them. Also, this method lets you define the ordering of the spline more easily than does the CrossSection modifier. CrossSection Modifier Select a spline object with spline cross sections. > Modify panel > Modifier List > CrossSection Make a selection.
624 Chapter 8: Modifiers 8. On the Modify panel, on the Modifiers List, choose Surface to add the Surface modifier. The spline cylinder is transformed into a patch surface by the Surface modifier. 9. To edit the model’s surface, change the splines using controls in the Edit Spline modifier. Or, since the output of the Surface modifier is a patch surface, add an Edit Patch modifier and use patch edit controls to change the surface.
CrossSection Modifier Example continued: Lining up the vertices: 1. On the Modify panel, choose the Vertex sub-object level in the stack display. Lining up the first vertex of each spline is important to prevent the surface from twisting. 2. Use Ctrl +click to select the rightmost vertex of each line and the bottommost vertex of each NGon. 3. On the Geometry rollout, click Make First. 5.
626 Chapter 8: Modifiers 4. On the CrossSection Parameters rollout, toggle between Linear and Smooth. Notice how the splines change. 5. On the Modify panel, toggle the Show End Result On/Off Toggle button to display the final patch surface. The toggle won’t remain on if the CrossSection modifier is current. Drop down to the Editable Patch in the stack and turn on the Show End Result toggle if you like. Delete Mesh Modifier Modify panel > Make a sub-object selection.
Delete Patch Modifier Interface This modifier has no parameters. Delete Patch Modifier 3. On the Modify panel, in Editable Patch, choose the Patch sub-object level, and select a patch. 4. In the Modifier List, choose the Delete Patch modifier. Modify panel > Make a patch selection. > Modifier List > Delete Patch Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Patch/Spline Editing > Delete Delete Patch provides parametric deletion based on the current sub-object level in the stack.
628 Chapter 8: Modifiers Procedure To use the delete spline modifier: 1. Create a shape that contains multiple splines. 2. Apply a Spline Select modifier (page 1–831) and select a section of the spline for deletion. 3. Apply a Delete Spline modifier to delete the section. To undo the deletion, remove the Delete Spline modifier. Interface This modifier has no parameters. Disp Approx Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Disp Approx Make a selection.
Displace Modifier 4. In the material’s Maps rollout, click the Displacement button, then use the Material/Map Browser to apply a displacement map. Interface Tip: This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way displacement mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique, but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or even spheres. A box’s sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps.
630 Chapter 8: Modifiers Displace used to change the surface in the container There are two basic ways to use the Displace modifier: • Apply displacement effects directly by setting Strength and Decay values. • Apply the grayscale component of a bitmapped image to generate the displacement. Lighter colors in the 2D image push outward more strongly than darker colors, resulting in a 3D displacement of the geometry. The Displace space warp (page 2–76) has similar features.
Displace Modifier By default, gizmos are centered on the object. However, you can transform any of these shapes and use it directly as a tool to deform the geometry of an object. Modeling Options Displace is a versatile modifier with many possible applications. Here are some options: • Produce interior modeling effects by scaling down the gizmo and moving it inside the object. The outward force shapes the geometry from within. • Animate the modeling process.
632 Chapter 8: Modifiers By default, Displace has the same strength throughout world space. Increasing Decay causes the displacement strength to diminish as distance increases from the position of the Displace gizmo. This has the effect of concentrating the force field near the gizmo, similar to the field around a magnet repelling its opposite charge. Default=0.0. Luminance Center—Determines which level of gray Displace uses as the zero displacement value.
Displace Modifier Use Existing Mapping—Has Displace use mapping set earlier in the stack. This has no effect if the object is not mapped. Apply Mapping—Applies the Displace UV mapping to the bound object. This lets you apply material maps to the object using the same mapping coordinates as the modifier. Channel group Displace gizmos: Planar, Cylindrical, Spherical, and Shrink Wrap Planar—Projects the map from a single plane. Cylindrical—Projects the map as if it were wrapped around the cylinder.
634 Chapter 8: Modifiers Bitmap Fit—Displays a Select Bitmap dialog. The gizmo is scaled to fit the aspect ratio of the bitmap you select. Normal Align—Turns on Pick mode to let you select a surface. The gizmo is aligned to the normal of that surface. View Align—Orients the gizmo in the same direction as the view. Region Fit—Turns on Pick mode to let you drag two points. The gizmo is scaled to fit the specified area. Reset—Returns the gizmo to its defaults.
Edit Normals Modifier Warning: Don’t apply an Edit Normals modifier to the low-res object used in normal bump projection (page 3–150). Normal bump projection relies on the low-res object having standard normals, and altering them causes normal bump maps to have unpredictable results. Types of Normals Three types of normals are available with the Edit Normals modifier: • Unspecified: These are the normals that the modifier derives from smoothing groups and initially assigns to the modified mesh vertices.
636 Chapter 8: Modifiers this makes it easy to see the seams between the broken pieces. To fix this, the artist selects all the pieces of the breaking object and applies the Edit Normal modifier to all of them at once. She then selects the normals across the seam and unifies them so they are pointing in the same direction. The artist then exports to the game engine.
Edit Normals Modifier Interface Ctrl +0 (zero) to access the object level of the modifier. Select By group—Lets you specify how to select normals in the viewport: • Normal ( Ctrl +1): Click a normal to select it. • Vertex ( Ctrl +2): Click a mesh vertex to select all of its normals. • Edge ( Ctrl +3): Click a mesh edge to select the normals associated with the neighboring polygons. • Face ( Ctrl +4): Click a mesh face (or polygon) to select the associated normals.
638 Chapter 8: Modifiers Break (B)—Separates all selected, unified normals into their original components. With Unify/Break To Average off, Break orients each separated normal perpendicular to its respective face, thus splaying out the normals at each vertex if the connected faces are at different angles (as with a sphere). With Unify/Break To Average on, each separated normal uses the orientation of the original normal. Break converts any selected normals to specified normals.
Edit Patch Modifier base Editable Patch object, except that you cannot animate sub-objects in Edit Patch. See Editable Patch (page 1–968) for a parameter reference. Procedure Other than the inability to animate sub-objects with Edit Patch, the main difference between Edit Patch and Editable Patch is that the modifier incorporates the ability of the Surface modifier to generate a patch object from a spline cage. For details, see Spline Surface (page 1–639).
640 Chapter 8: Modifiers 5. Adjust the Spline Surface settings and edit the object as necessary. If you modify the spline object, for best results, edit at the Vertex sub-object level, and be sure to select all vertices at an intersection before moving them. Interface Spline Surface group The Geometry rollout > Spline Surface group is found only in the Edit Patch modifier; it’s not available in the Editable Patch object.
Edit Poly Modifier these options for each of the polymesh components. • Pass a sub-object selection to a modifier higher in the stack. You can apply one or more standard modifiers to the selection. Tip: You can exit most Edit Poly command modes, such as Extrude, by right-clicking in the active viewport. Differences Between Edit Poly and Editable Poly Functionality in Edit Poly is mostly the same as that of Editable Poly.
642 Chapter 8: Modifiers Function Animatable? Function Animatable? Transform sub-objects Yes Hide Unselected No Shift +Transform sub-objects Unhide All No Yes Remove Proc Constraints No Break Proc Preserve UVs No Extrude Yes By Vertex No Chamfer Yes Ignore Backfacing No Bridge Yes Ring No Loop No Weld (selected) Proc (can animate Weld Threshold) Shrink No Target Weld No Grow No Connect Yes Selection conversion No Remove Isolated Vertices Proc Named Selection
Edit Poly Modifier Function Animatable? Select by Material ID No Set Smoothing Group Yes • Select by Smoothing Group No Auto Smooth Proc Edit Poly Workflow Edit Poly differs from other Edit modifiers in 3ds Max in that it provides two different modes, available on the Edit Poly Mode rollout: one for modeling, and the other for animating. By default, Edit Poly operates in Model mode, whose functionality is mostly the same as that of Editable Poly.
644 Chapter 8: Modifiers 7. Proceed to the next keyframe and continue to change settings for the current operation and sub-object selection. Note: With Use Stack Selection on, you can’t change the selection. Now, when you play the animation, the Edit Poly effect moves along with the animation of the sub-object selection. If you change the selection, the existing animation is applied to the new selection, and lost from the previous one.
Edit Poly Modifier on the object’s geometry. While at a sub-object level, if you turn on Show Cage on the Edit Poly Mode rollout, you can see the final object as a white mesh, the original sub-object selection as a yellow mesh, and the original Edit Poly object as an orange mesh. Edit Poly Mode rollout Extrude or Chamfer, to an animated sub-object selection passed up the stack. Tip: If you use Set Key to animate with Edit Poly, be sure to turn on Key Filters > Modifiers.
646 Chapter 8: Modifiers Commit—In Model mode, using a Settings dialog, accepts any changes and closes the dialog (same as the OK button on the dialog). In Animate mode, freezes the animated selection in its state at the current frame and closes the dialog. Any existing keyframes are lost. Tip: Commit lets you use animation as a modeling aid.
Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) Edit Geometry rollout The Edit Geometry rollout (page 1–673) provides global functions for editing an Edit Poly object and its sub-objects.
648 Chapter 8: Modifiers and only edges of faces that did not have all vertices selected; that is, of faces around the border of the vertex selection. Interface Vertex selection (left) converted to edge border (center) and face border (right) • When you convert edges to faces, the resulting selection of faces had some but not all of their edges selected, and were next to faces with no edges selected.
Selection Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) The Edge and Border sub-object levels are compatible, so if you go from one to the other, any existing selection is retained. Polygon—Accesses the Polygon sub-object level, which lets you select polygons beneath the cursor. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region. Element—Turns on Element sub-object level, which lets you select all contiguous polygons in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple elements.
650 Chapter 8: Modifiers Tip: After making a ring selection, you can use Connect to subdivide the associated polygons into new edge loops. [Ring Shift]—The spinner next to the Ring button lets you move the selection in either direction to other edges in the same ring; that is, to neighboring, parallel edges. If you have a loop selected, you can use this function to select a neighboring loop. Applies only to Edge and Border sub-object levels.
Edit Poly (Object) You can then modify this selection using standard methods. Interface Edit Geometry rollout If no selection exists in the stack, all sub-objects are unselected. Selection Information At the bottom of the Selection rollout is a text display giving information about the current selection. If zero or more than one sub-object is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If one sub-object is selected, the text gives the identification number and type of the selected item.
652 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit Poly (Vertex) Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Vertex Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Modify Stack display > Expand Edit Poly. > Vertex Select an Edit Poly object. > Quad menu > Tools 1 quadrant > Vertex Vertices are points in space: They define the structure of other sub-objects that make up the poly object. When vertices are moved or edited, the geometry they form is affected as well.
Edit Poly (Vertex) A rubber-band line connects the vertex and the mouse cursor. Edit Vertices rollout 5. Position the cursor over vertex B, whereupon the cursor image changes from an arrow to a crosshairs. Reminder: Only vertices connected to the first vertex by a single edge qualify for target welding. 6. Click to weld the two. The resulting vertex remains at vertex B’s position, and you exit Target Weld mode.
654 Chapter 8: Modifiers button, and then drag vertically on any vertex to extrude it. with Extrusion Height set to the amount of the last manual extrusion. Extruding a vertex moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the vertex to the object. The extrusion has the same number of sides as the number of polygons that originally used the extruded vertex.
Edit Poly (Vertex) line. Position the cursor over a neighboring vertex and when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The first vertex moves to the position of the second, and the two are welded. Connect—Creates new edges between pairs of selected vertices. Connect will not let the new edges cross. For example, if you select all four vertices of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only two of the vertices will connect. In this case, to connect all four vertices with new edges, use Cut.
656 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit Geometry rollout Edit Poly (Edge) Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Edge Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Modifier Stack display > Expand Edit Poly. > Edge Select an Edit Poly object. > Quad menu > Tools 1 quadrant > Edge An edge is a line connecting two vertices that forms the side of a polygon. An edge can’t be shared by more than two polygons. Also, the normals of the two polygons should be adjacent.
Edit Poly (Edge) If the selected edges are not continuous, or if they branch, the resulting shape will consist of more than one spline. When the Create Shape function runs into a branching ’Y’ in the edges, it makes an arbitrary decision about which edge produces which spline. If you need to control this, select only edges that will result in a single spline, and perform a Create Shape operation repeatedly to make the correct number of shapes.
658 Chapter 8: Modifiers vertices, and optionally on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the Move, Rotate, and Scale functions, as well as any deformation modifiers (such as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the selection. For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963). Edit Edges rollout Removing one edge is like making it invisible.
Edit Poly (Edge) button, and then drag vertically on any edge to extrude it. When extruding a vertex or edge interactively in the viewport, you set the extrusion height by moving the mouse vertically and the base width by moving the mouse horizontally. Extruding an edge moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the edge to the object.
660 Chapter 8: Modifiers unselected edge, the software first deselects any selected edges. An edge chamfer "chops off " the selected edges, creating a new polygon connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original vertex. The new edges are exactly distance from the original edge along each of these edges.
Edit Poly (Edge) polygons between pairs of edges via interactive manipulation. Connect—Creates new edges between pairs of selected edges using the current Connect Edges dialog settings. Connect is particularly useful for creating or refining edge loops. Note: You can connect only edges on the same polygon. Also, Connect will not let the new edges cross.
662 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit Geometry rollout In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon. To edit triangulation manually, turn on this button. The diagonals appear. Click a polygon vertex. A rubber-band line appears, attached to the cursor. Click a non-adjacent vertex to create a new triangulation for the polygon. Tip: For easier editing of triangulation, use the Turn command instead (see following).
Edit Poly (Border) Selection rollout Edit Poly (Border) Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Border Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Modifier Stack display > Expand Edit Poly. > Border Select an Edit Poly object. > Quad menu > Tools 1 quadrant > Border A border is a linear section of a mesh that can generally be described as the edge of a hole. This is usually a sequence of edges with polygons on only one side.
664 Chapter 8: Modifiers Extruding a border moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the border to the object. The extrusion can form a varying number of additional sides, depending on the geometry near the border. As you increase the length of the extrusion, the base increases in size, to the extent of the vertices adjacent to the extruded border’s endpoints.
Edit Poly (Border) • Select an even number of borders on the object, and then click Bridge. This immediately creates the bridge between each pair of selected borders using the current Bridge settings, and then deactivates the Bridge button. • If no qualifying selection exists (that is, two or more selected borders), clicking Bridge activates the button and places you in Bridge mode. First click a border edge and then move the mouse; a rubber-band line connects the mouse cursor to the clicked edge.
666 Chapter 8: Modifiers For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see this procedure (page 1–1035). Edit Geometry rollout Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Polygon/Element Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > modifier stack display > Expand Edit Poly. > Polygon/Element Select an Edit Poly object.
Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) Soft Selection rollout Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects near your selection are given partial selection values. These values are shown in the viewports by means of a color gradient on the vertices, and optionally on the faces.
668 Chapter 8: Modifiers Click the Outline Settings button to open the Outline Selected Faces dialog, which lets you perform outlining with a numeric setting. Chamfer box showing extruded polygon Extrude Settings—Opens the Extrude Faces dialog (page 1–1072), which lets you perform extrusion via interactive manipulation.
Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) • The mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor when over a selected polygon. • With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected polygons equally. • You can drag other polygons in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button is active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation. Inset works on a selection of one or more polygons. As with Outline, only the outer edges are affected.
670 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between polygon pairs. To make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two polygons, and then use Bend (page 1–560). Bridge Settings—Opens the Bridge dialog (page 1–1067), which lets you connect pairs of polygon selections via interactive manipulation.
Edit Poly (Polygon/Element) 3–928) become visible as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport or click the Turn button again. Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate position available to a diagonal.
672 Chapter 8: Modifiers Polygon Properties rollout Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh modifier applied, the name list is inactive. Note: Sub-material names are those specified in the Name column on the material’s multi/sub-object Basic Parameters rollout. By default, 3ds Max assigns the material name “No Name” followed by a sequence number in parentheses. These names don’t appear in the Material Editor, but they do show up in the drop-down list.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) [threshold]—This numeric setting (to the right of Auto Smooth) lets you specify the maximum angle between the normals of adjacent polygons that determines whether those polygons will be put in the same smoothing group. Interface Paint Deformation rollout Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout (page 1–1064).
674 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: Repeat Last does not repeat all operations. For example, it does not repeat transforms. To determine which command will be repeated when you click the button, check the button’s tooltip. If no tooltip appears, nothing will happen when it is clicked. Constraints—Lets you use existing geometry to constrain sub-object transformation. Use the drop-down list to choose the constraint type: • None: No constraints. • Edge: Constrains vertex transformations to edge boundaries.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) vertices are incorporated into the polygon you’re creating. When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in the following way: You can start creating polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent clicks must take place in the same viewport. • If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits the material of the object it is being attached to.
676 Chapter 8: Modifiers Detach (sub-object levels only)—Detaches the selected sub–objects and the polygons attached to them as a separate object or element. The Detach As Clone option copies the sub-objects rather than moving them. You can continue slicing the selection while the command is active. To stop slicing, right-click in the viewport, or click QuickSlice again to turn it off. You’re prompted to enter a name for the new object.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Edit Poly Modifier) selection of polygons. Two tessellation methods are available: Edge and Face. Tessellate Settings—Opens the Tessellate Selection dialog (page 1–1077), which lets you specify how smoothing is applied. Make Planar—Forces all selected sub-objects to be coplanar. The plane’s normal is the average surface normal of the selection. At the Object level, forces all vertices in the object to become coplanar.
678 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: At the object level, Relax applies to the entire object. At any sub-object level, Relax applies only to the current selection. Relax Settings—Opens the Relax dialog (page 1–1076), which lets you specify how the Relax function is applied. Hide Selected (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only)—Hides any selected sub-objectgs. Unhide All (Vertex, Polygon, and Element levels only)—Restores any hidden sub-objects to visibility.
Align Geometry Dialog Align Geometry Dialog Select an Edit Poly object. > Modify panel > object level or any sub-object level > Animate mode > Edit Geometry rollout > Click View Align or Grid Align > Edit Poly Mode rollout > Settings button This Edit Poly-specific dialog lets you change the alignment method after using the View Align or Grid Align function. Available only in Animate mode after using the View Align or Grid Align command.
680 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit Spline Modifier Create or select a spline > Modify panel > Object–Space Modifiers > Edit Spline Create or select a spline > Modifiers menu > Patch/Spline Editing > Edit Spline • You want to edit a parametric shape as a spline, but want to retain the ability to modify its creation parameters after the edit. • You want to store your edits temporarily within Edit Spline until you are satisfied with the results, before committing them permanently to an editable spline object.
Extrude Modifier Interface Grid capping option, the grid lines are hidden edges rather than visible edges. This primarily affects any objects assigned a material with the Wire option turned on, or any objects that use the Lattice modifier (page 1–709). Output group Patch—Produces an object that you can collapse to a patch object; see Editing the Stack (page 1–504). Mesh—Produces an object that you can collapse to a mesh object; see Editing the Stack (page 1–504).
682 Chapter 8: Modifiers Smooth—Applies smoothing to the extruded Interface shape. Modifier Stack Face Extrude Modifier Modify panel > Select one or more faces of a mesh object. > Modifier List > Face Extrude Modify panel > Select one or more faces of a mesh object. > Modifiers menu > Mesh Editing > Face Extrude The Face Extrude modifier extrudes faces along their normals, creating new faces along the sides of the extrusion that connect the extruded faces to their object.
FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers mesh. Each vertex is displaced in the direction of the average surface normal of selected faces that share that vertex. So each vertex may move in a slightly different direction. Put another way, each vertex is extruded in the direction of the surface normal at the point on the surface where that vertex lies. FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Modifiers Modify panel > Make a selection.
684 Chapter 8: Modifiers Lattice sub-object level, and then use any of the transform tools to adjust the lattice volume relative to the geometry. Interface Modifier Stack Points sub-object level, deforming the object as you manipulate points. For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760).
FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers Source Volume—Displays the control points and Note: Conform to Shape works best with regular lattice in their unmodified state. shapes, such as primitives. It’s less effective if the object has degenerate (long, narrow) faces or sharp corners. All the controls are unavailable with shapes, because there are no faces to intersect with. When you’re in the Lattice selection level, this helps to position the source volume.
686 Chapter 8: Modifiers Lattice—At this sub-object level, you can position, rotate, or scale the lattice box separately from the geometry. If the Auto Key button is turned on, the lattice becomes animated. When you first apply an FFD, its lattice defaults to a bounding box surrounding the geometry. Moving or scaling the lattice so that only a subset of vertices lie inside the volume makes it possible to apply a localized deformation.
FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers FFD Parameters rollout lattice. Note that the point dimensions also show up beside the modifier name in the stack list. Lattice dimensions—The text displays the current number of control points in the lattice (for example 3x4x4). Set Number of Points—Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled Length, Width, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons. Specify the number of control points you want in the lattice, and then click OK to make the change.
688 Chapter 8: Modifiers All Vertices—Deforms all vertices regardless of whether they lie inside or outside the source volume depending on the value in the Falloff spinner. The deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the deformation inside the volume. Note that the deformation can be extreme for points far away from the source lattice. Falloff—Determines the distance from the lattice that the FFD effect will decrease to zero. Available only when you choose All Vertices.
FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier FFD (Free-Form Deformation) Select Modifier Select an FFD space warp. > Modify panel > Modifier List > FFD Select Select an FFD space warp. > Modifiers menu > Selection Modifiers > FFD Select 5. Apply a Linked XForm modifier, and then pick one of the dummies as a control object. 6. Apply another FFD Select modifier, and select a different collection of control points. 7. Apply another Linked XForm modifier and assign the other dummy as a control object. 8.
690 Chapter 8: Modifiers (and move) any vertex, but only Corner vertices and Bezier Corner vertices are valid for fillet and chamfer functions. In addition, both segments connected by a Bezier Corner vertex must be linear rather than curved. There are two methods for applying either fillets or chamfers: • Select one or more valid corner vertices, and then adjust either the Radius spinner to fillet the selected corners, or the Distance spinner to chamfer the corners.
Flex Modifier Interface Flex Modifier Select a Mesh , Patch, or NURBS object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Flex Select a Mesh, Patch, or NURBS object. > Modifiers menu > Animation Modifiers > Flex Modifier Fillet group Radius—Specifies the radius of the filleted corner. Apply—Applies the value specified in the Radius spinner to selected vertices.
692 Chapter 8: Modifiers 1–729). Use this to simulate soft body motion on a morphed or otherwise deform-animated object. • On a NURBS surface, the Flex modifier influences control vertices (CVs) or points. Tip: After applying the Flex modifier to an object • On a Spline (shape), the Flex modifier influences both control points and tangent handles. or sub-object selection, choose the Flex modifier’s Center sub-object and use Move to change where the flex effect is centered.
Flex Modifier 7. Open the Flex modifier hierarchy in the stack 8. On Forces and Deflectors rollout > Forces display, and click Weights & Springs. This enables modification of the Weights & Springs sub-object settings. group, click the Add button, and then select the Wind gizmo in the viewports. 9. 8. In the Paint Weights group, turn on Paint. The sphere undulates in the wind. The Advanced Parameters rollout > Reference Frame setting determines the frame where the force(s) in the list take effect. 9.
694 Chapter 8: Modifiers Example: To create a swinging rope: 4. Apply a Mesh Select modifier to the plane. 1. Use Create menu > Space Warps to add a Drag 5. In the Top viewport, select all the vertices and a Gravity space warp in the Top viewport. 2. Use Create menu > Shapes > Line to create a line with ten vertices spaced evenly in the top viewport. 3. In the Modify panel, turn on Vertex sub-object and select all the vertices except the first vertex. 4. Add the Flex modifier. 5.
Flex Modifier The flex effect increases as the distance between the center and a vertex increases. Strength—Sets the overall spring strength of the chase springs. Edge Vertices—Select vertices in the viewports to A value of 100 is rigid. Range=0 to 100; Default=3. control the falloff and direction of the flex effect. Sway—Sets the time for the object to come to rest Selected vertices flex less than unselected vertices. for chase springs.
696 Chapter 8: Modifiers stable the simulation. When using the Midpoint or Runge-Kutta4 solver, you might not need as many samples as with Euler. Default=5. Tip: If your simulation produces unexpected results, such as object vertices moving to seemingly random locations, try increasing the Samples setting. Simple Soft Bodies rollout Lets the software determine spring settings for the entire object automatically.
Flex Modifier Weights and Painting rollout When you first apply Flex to an object, the modifier automatically sets vertex weights based on distance from the modifier’s center. The higher a vertex weight, the less prone it is to being affected by Flex effects. The modifier applies the highest weights to vertices closest to its center, and the lowest weights to vertices farthest from the center.
698 Chapter 8: Modifiers closer to the edge change. At the lowest setting, all vertices inside the radius are changed equally. Forces and Deflectors rollout Vertex Weights group Sets vertex weighting manually. At the Weights & Springs sub-object level, select vertices in the viewports, and then change the value of the Vertex Weight parameter. Alternatively, turn on Absolute Weight, set the desired Vertex Weight, and then select vertices to set; changes are immediate.
Flex Modifier Add—Click this, and then select a particle space warp in the viewports to add the effect to Flex. The added space warp displays in the list window. Remove—Select a space warp in the list and click Remove to remove the effect from Flex. Deflectors group Using deflectors with Flex lets object movement be impeded by surfaces. This lets you simulate collisions with soft-body objects.
700 Chapter 8: Modifiers Stretch Str.—Determines the strength of the edge springs; the higher the strength, the less the distance between them can vary. Stretch Sway—Determines the sway of the edge springs; the higher the strength, the less the angle between them can vary. Shape Str.—Determines the strength of the shape springs; the higher the strength, the less the distance between them can vary.
HSDS Modifier Interface HSDS Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > HSDS Modifier Select an object. > Modifiers menu > Subdivision Surfaces > HSDS Modifier The HSDS modifier implements Hierarchical SubDivision Surfaces. It is intended primarily as a finishing tool rather than as a modeling tool. For best results, perform most of your modeling using low-polygon methods, and then use HSDS to add detail and adaptively refine the model.
702 Chapter 8: Modifiers the higher-detail areas are still in effect, but you control them indirectly by means of the more widespread sub-objects at the lower level. Sub-object animation is supported only at the lowest level of detail: Base Level. This is accomplished by animating the mesh below the HSDS modifier. To apply deformation animation after HSDS modeling, first convert the object to an editable mesh by right-clicking the modifier stack and choosing Collapse All.
HSDS Modifier Interface HSDS Parameters rollout The sub-objects available in the HSDS modifier belong to the control grid rather than the mesh object itself. Transforming the grid sub-objects also transforms the underlying mesh, but the mesh doesn’t always move to the full extent of the control grid. This is particularly true in cases where you transform a sub-object at a level lower than the highest level in which the sub-object resides. A control grid on a sphere at level 2.
704 Chapter 8: Modifiers beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within the region. Polygon—Turns on Polygon sub-object mode, which lets you select a single face or polygon. A polygon is the area you see within the visible wire edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region. Element—Turns on Element sub-object mode, which lets you select all contiguous polygons beneath the cursor in the current level of detail.
HSDS Modifier Subdivide—Performs subdivision and smoothing on the current selection, and adds a level to the Subdivision Stack. When the subdivision results in a control grid and other subdivisions have been performed at the same level of detail, the control grids may become interconnected. the edge should be offset from the surrounding surface by a significant amount. Vertex Interpolation group— Left: Crease=1.0 Center: The eyebrow edges selected at LOD 0 Right: Crease=0.
706 Chapter 8: Modifiers Material ID—Displays the material ID assigned to the current selection. Available only in Polygon and Element sub-object modes. If multiple sub-objects are selected and they don’t share an ID, this field is blank. You can change the material ID assigned to selected sub-objects at the current and higher levels of detail by changing this setting. Material IDs are used primarily with Multi/Sub-Object material (page 2–1594). Hide—Hides the current polygon selection.
Lathe Modifier Interface OK—Performs the subdivision or removal of detail and closes the dialog. Cancel—Closes the dialog without changing the mesh. Lathe Modifier Select a shape. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Lathe Select a shape. > Modifiers menu > Patch/Spline Editing > Lathe Lathe creates a 3D object by rotating a shape or NURBS curve about an axis. Detail group Add/Remove—Determines whether clicking the OK button increases or decreases detail.
708 Chapter 8: Modifiers Parameters rollout Object resulting from 270-degree lathe Weld Core—Simplifies the mesh by welding together vertices that lie on the axis of revolution. Keep it turned off if you intend to create morph targets. Flip Normals—Depending on the direction of the vertices on your shape, and the direction of rotation, the lathed object might be inside out. Toggle the Flip Normals check box to fix this.
Lattice Modifier Morph—Arranges cap faces in a predictable, repeatable pattern necessary for creating morph targets. Morph capping can generate long, thin faces that don’t render or deform as well as grid capping. Use morph capping primarily if you are lathing multiple morph targets. Grid—Arranges cap faces in a square grid trimmed at the shape boundaries. This method produces a surface of evenly sized faces that can easily be deformed by other modifiers.
710 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Top: Joints only Middle: Struts only Bottom: Both (joints and struts) Note: This modifier can act on the whole object or on sub-object selections in the stack. Tip: You can combine the Scatter compound object (page 1–318) with the Lattice modifier to place any object you want as a joint, rather than the provided polyhedra. To do this, create your mesh distribution object and your source object (for example, a box).
Lattice Modifier Apply To Entire Object—Applies Lattice to all edges or segments in the object. When turned off, applies Lattice only to selected sub-objects passed up the stack. Default=on. Note: When Apply To Entire Object is turned off, unselected sub-objects render normally.
712 Chapter 8: Modifiers New—Uses mapping designed for the Lattice modifier. Applies cylindrical mapping to each strut, and spherical mapping to each joint. To apply a Linked XForm modifier at a Sub-Object level: 1. Choose an Editable Mesh or an object to which a Mesh Select modifier has been applied. Linked XForm Modifier Modify panel > Select objects or sub-objects. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Linked XForm Select an object or sub-objects.
LS Mesh Modifier linked object once. This switch is similar to the ’Back Transform Vertices’ switch of the Skin (page 1–791) modifier. Interface LS Mesh Modifier Select a Lightscape mesh object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > LS Mesh The LS Mesh modifier refines a Lightscape mesh object. When a Lightscape scene is imported into 3ds Max, the mesh produced by Lightscape doesn’t contain the refinements that Lightscape introduced to improve the lighting.
714 Chapter 8: Modifiers For example, if you scale a brick wall with the MapScaler (WSM) modifier applied, the bricks will all remain the same size as you increase the size of the wall. However, if you scale the same wall with the MapScaler (OSM) modifier applied, the size of the bricks will grow in proportion with the scale of the wall.
Material Modifier Procedure Example: To change the material ID of a sub-object selection: 1. In the Top viewport, create a sphere. 2. In the Material Editor, create a multi/sub-object material. Make the colors of material ID 1 and 2 different. 3. Assign the multi/sub-object material to the sphere. 4. On the Modify panel, choose Mesh Select from the Modifier List. Tip: If you want a gradual blend from one material 5. to another, try animating the Mix parameter on a Blend (page 2–1588) material.
716 Chapter 8: Modifiers face sub-selection, then the ID is only applied to selected faces; otherwise, it is applied to the entire object. The ID number refers to one of the materials in a multi/sub-object material. MaterialByElement Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > MaterialByElement Make a selection.
Melt Modifier Interface The modifier assigns material IDs until the weights total 100. For example, if you set Mat’l ID #1 to 40, #2 to 35, and #3 to 60, approximately 40 percent of the elements will be assigned material ID 1, 30 percent will be assigned material ID 2, and 25 percent (100 [40 + 35]) will be assigned material ID 3. Any remaining percentages (as set in Mat’l IDs 4-8) are ignored. Note: These percentages are approximate.
718 Chapter 8: Modifiers include sagging of edges, spreading while melting, and a customizable set of substances ranging from a firm plastic surface to a jelly type that collapses in on itself. Parameters rollout Procedure Example: To animate a jelly-like melting sphere: 1. In the Top viewport, create a Sphere primitive with a radius of about 50 units. 2. Apply the Melt modifier. 3. Turn on the Auto Key button and go to frame 100. 4. In the Melt group box, set Amount to 70. 5.
Mesh Select Modifier Ice—The default Solidity setting. Glass—Uses a high Solidity setting to simulate glass. Jelly—Causes a significant drooping effect in the center. Plastic—Relatively solid, but droops slightly in the center as it melts. are unavailable, and the Select Object button is automatically activated. • The Mesh Select modifier automatically turns off the Show End Result button, which becomes "spring loaded" while you’re in the modifier.
720 Chapter 8: Modifiers 3. Select vertices, edges, faces, polygons or Mesh Select Parameters rollout elements. 4. Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3. Interface Modifier Stack controls Show End Result—Normally, if you apply a modifier such as Twist to an editable-mesh object and then return to the Editable Mesh stack entry, you cannot see the effect of the modifier on the object’s geometry.
Mesh Select Modifier Face—Selects a triangular face beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple triangular faces within the region. Polygon—Selects all coplanar faces (defined by the value in the Planar Threshold spinner) beneath the cursor. Usually, a polygon is the area you see within the visible wire edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region. Element—Selects all contiguous faces in an object. Region selection selects the same.
722 Chapter 8: Modifiers even copy the selection set to a different type of object, because the selection is identified by the entities’ ID numbers. The standard procedure is to create a selection set, name it, and then use Copy to duplicate it into the copy buffer. Next, select a different object and/or modifier, go to the same sub-object level as you were in when you copied the set, and click Paste.
MeshSmooth Modifier crisp angles. Avoid using it on spheres and similar objects. Interface Modifier Stack Tip: To better understand MeshSmooth, create a sphere and a cube and apply MeshSmooth to both. The cube’s sharp corners become rounded, while the sphere’s geometry becomes more complex without changing shape significantly. Note: Having an animated deformer placed before a meshsmoothed object that has had control level editing can result in the meshsmoothed object becoming distorted.
724 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Classic—Produces three- and four-sided facets. (This is the same as applying MeshSmooth in version 2.x without turning on Quad Output.) • Quad Output—Produces only four-sided facets (assuming you don’t look at the hidden edges, since the object is still made up of triangular faces). If you apply this with default parameters to a whole object, like a box, it’s topologically exactly the same as Tessellate (page 1–865), edge-style.
MeshSmooth Modifier Note: Be cautious when increasing the number of iterations. The number of vertices and faces in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase as much as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a moderately complex object can take a long time to calculate. You can press Esc to stop calculation; this also automatically sets Update Options to Manually. Reduce the Iterations value before setting Update Options back to Always.
726 Chapter 8: Modifiers points and edges at that level. Transform controls and the Weight setting are available for all sub-objects at all levels. The Crease setting is available only at the Edge sub-object level. deformation to unselected vertices surrounding the transformed selected sub-object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the transformation. Crease—Creates a discontinuity on a surface so For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963).
MeshSmooth Modifier infinite number of iterations. The topology is still controlled by the number of iterations. Parameters rollout > Surface Parameters group Applies smoothing groups to the object and restrict the MeshSmooth effect by surface properties. Smooth Result—Applies the same smoothing group to all faces. Separate by Materials—Prevents the creation of new faces for edges between faces that do not share Material IDs.
728 Chapter 8: Modifiers change don’t take effect until you click the Update button. Reset Edge Creases—Returns to the default or Update—Updates the object in the viewport to Reset Vertex Weights—Returns to the default or match the current MeshSmooth settings. Works only when you choose When Rendering or Manually. initial setting for vertex weights. Resets rollout Reset Everything—Returns to the default or initial setting for everything.
Morpher Modifier 3. To create a mirrored pair, specify an Offset amount and turn on Copy. Interface Copy—Copies the geometry rather than simply mirroring it. Note: The Copy option affects only geometry with triangular meshes. Modifier Stack Morpher Modifier Select a mesh, patch, or NURBS object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Morpher Mirror Center—Represents the axis of the mirror effect. You can move, rotate or scale the gizmo to affect the mirroring.
730 Chapter 8: Modifiers the Morpher modifier also supports material morphing. Morphing is commonly used for lip sync and facial expression on a 3D character, but can be used to change the shape of any 3D model. There are 100 channels available for morph targets and materials. Channel percentages can be mixed, and the result of the mix can be used to create a new target. On a mesh object, vertex count on the base object and targets must be the same.
Morpher Modifier F,V W,Q C, D, G, J, K, N, S, T, Y, Z M,B,P (This target can be the same shape as the "at rest" base object) Morph Targets for Expression L,T O Create as many expression targets as necessary for the character. Joy, sadness, surprise, evil can all have their own targets. Depending on the personality of the character, certain targets, like a terror target, may not be necessary.
732 Chapter 8: Modifiers The base object is now an Editable Patch. 6. In the Top viewport, use Shift +Move to create a copy of the patch object. 7. On the Modify panel, on the Selection rollout, click Vertex. 8. In the Front viewport, move patch vertices to deform the patch surface. 9. In the stack display, choose Editable Patch to go to the object (top) level. (The highlight should change from yellow to gray, and the Vertex sub-object icon is no longer displayed at the right of the stack.
Morpher Modifier To use progressive morphing: 1. Create starting and ending morph targets, and one or more intermediate targets. 2. Apply the Morpher modifier to the starting morph target, and click Load Multiple Targets to load the starting and ending morph targets. 3. In the Channel List rollout, select the channel you want to be influenced by an intermediate target. 4. In the Channel Parameters rollout, click Pick Object from Scene, and select the intermediate target. 5.
734 Chapter 8: Modifiers Global Parameters rollout Channel Activation group Set All—Click to activate all channels. Set None—Click to deactivate all channels. Morph Material group Assign New Material—Click to assign the Morpher material to the base object (the object to which the Morpher modifier is applied). Open the Material Editor to view and edit the Morpher material.
Morpher Modifier Channel List rollout display these tracks, you can choose a marker from the list to display these channels in the list. Save Marker—Move the scroll bar to frame a particular set of 10 channels, enter a name in the text field, and then click Save Marker to store the channel selection. Delete Marker—Choose a marker name to delete from the drop-down list, and then click Delete Marker to delete it. Channel List—The Morpher modifier provides up to 100 morph channels.
736 Chapter 8: Modifiers Channel Parameters rollout The channel number button and channel name field at the top of this rollout reflect the current active channel in the channel list. List Range—Displays the range of visible channels in the channel list. Load Multiple Targets—Load multiple morph targets into empty channels by selecting object names in the selection dialog and clicking Load. If there are more targets than empty channels, a warning displays and the channels are not assigned.
Morpher Modifier Extract—Choose a blue channel and click this option to create an object from the morph data. Move To—Displays the Channel Operations dialog. To move the current channel to the selected channel, choose a channel from the list, and click Move To. Swap With—Displays the Channel Operations dialog. To swap the current channel with the selected channel, choose a channel from the list, and click Swap With. Used Channels—Displays a list of active channels.
738 Chapter 8: Modifiers Target %—Specifies how much the selected intermediate morph target contributes to the overall morph solution. Tension—Specifies the overall linearity of the vertex transformation between intermediary morph targets. A value of 1.0 creates a “loose” transition, causing the interpolation to overshoot each target slightly. A value of 0.0 creates a direct, linear transformation between each intermediary target.
MultiRes Modifier channels. The status window displays how many channels were moved. Approximate Memory Usage—Displays an approximation of the current memory usage. MultiRes Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifiers List > Object–Space Modifiers > MultiRes Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Mesh Editing > MultiRes The MultiRes modifier reduces the memory overhead needed to render models by decreasing the number of vertices and polygons.
740 Chapter 8: Modifiers 2. In the Generation Parameters group in the MultiRes Parameters rollout, click the Generate button to initialize the mesh. 3. In the Resolution group, use the keyboard or spinner controls to decrease the Vert Percent or Vert Count value. As the vertex and polygon counts decrease, the mesh updates in real time in the viewports. To maintain part of a mesh at full resolution while reducing the rest: 1. Select a model and apply the MultiRes modifier. 2.
MultiRes Modifier Interface Adjusting this setting alters the Vert Percent value as well. Max Vertex—Displays the vertex count from the original mesh that you applied MultiRes to. You cannot enter values larger than this in the Vert Count field. Face Count—Displays the current face count. As you adjust the Vert Percent/Vert Count settings, the value for the face count will update on the fly. Max Face—Displays the maximum face count.
742 Chapter 8: Modifiers object (page 1–183). It comprises four different elements: the body, the handle, the spout, and the lid. Normally, MultiRes optimizes each discrete element in a mesh on its own. The default behavior of the Vertex Merging option is to merge vertices between elements. Turning on Within Mesh causes vertices within elements to be merged as well. Boundary Metric—When on, MultiRes preserves materials assigned to the selected model.
Noise Modifier Crease Angle—The value of the crease necessary in order to generate multiple normals. Available only when Multiple Normals Per Vertex is on. The optimal crease angle depends on the model; set it interactively and check the viewport and rendered images for shading effects. While use of Multiple Vertex Normals enables more accurate shading, it can require more internal data. noticeable on objects that have greater numbers of faces. Most of the Noise parameters have an animation controller.
744 Chapter 8: Modifiers If you’ve animated this procedure, you can change parameters as the animation runs to see the effects. For another source of noise effects, go to the sub-object level of the Noise modifier and transform the gizmo and center of the modifier. To create terrain effects: Plane with fractal noise applied When set for Fractal, the Noise modifier produces a random fractal noise that creates a variety of topological and terrain effects.
Noise Modifier For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760). Parameters rollout Fractal—Produces a fractal effect based on current settings. Default=off. If you turn on Fractal, the following options are available: Roughness—Determines the extent of fractal variation. Lower values are less rough than higher values. Range=0 to 1.0. Default=0. Iterations—Controls the number of iterations (or octaves) used by the fractal function.
746 Chapter 8: Modifiers frequencies produce a smoother and more gentle noise. Phase—Shifts the start and end points of the underlying wave. By default, animation keys are set at either end of the active frame range. You can see the effect of Phase more clearly by editing these positions in Track View. Select Animate Noise to enable animation playback.
Normalize Spline Modifier Interface Normalize Spline to produce splines for motion paths that require constant velocity. Note: This feature is not animatable. Interface Unify Normals—Unifies the normals of an object by flipping the normals so that they all point in the same direction, usually outward. This is useful for restoring an object’s faces to their original orientations.
748 Chapter 8: Modifiers NSurf Sel can select any kind of NURBS sub-objects except imports. Each sub-object selection is of one particular sub-object level only. NSurf Sel has the same selection controls you see for NURBS surfaces, except that selecting connected curves or surfaces is not available. Note: The NSurf Sel modifier doesn’t support copying and pasting selections as Mesh Select (page 1–719) does. Copying and pasting mesh selections is based on vertex indexes.
Optimize Modifier readout gives you exact feedback on the reduction as you make each change. Procedures To optimize manually: 1. Set up two viewports: one wireframe, one smooth shaded. 2. Select an object and apply the Optimize modifier. The Parameters rollout for this modifier appears. 3. Turn off Manual Update and then adjust the Face Thresh value. Observe the result in the viewports. Optimize simplifies a smooth model with a high number of faces without greatly changing the model’s appearance.
750 Chapter 8: Modifiers You see the effect immediately in a smooth shaded viewport. Do a test rendering to see the effect on the renderer. The following parameters are stored for each level: Face Threshold, Edge Threshold, Bias, Max Edge Len, Material Boundaries, and Smooth Boundaries. Interface and L2 to change the stored optimization level. Default=L1. Viewports L1, L2—Set the optimization level for both viewport and renderer. Also toggles the level of display for the viewport. Default=L1.
Patch Select Modifier Preserve group Maintains clean separation at the face level between material and smoothness boundaries. Material Boundaries—Prevents face collapse across material boundaries. Default=off. Smooth Boundaries—Optimizes an object and maintain its smoothing. When turned on, allows only faces that share at least one smoothing group to collapse. Default=off. Update group Update—Updates the viewports with the current optimization settings. Available only when Manual Update is turned on.
752 Chapter 8: Modifiers Parameters rollout 2. Go to the Modify panel and choose Patch Select from the modifier list. 3. Select vertices, handles, edges, patches, or elements. 4. Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3. Interface Modifier Stack Vertex—Selects vertices. Handle—Selects handles. Edge—Selects edges. Patch—Selects patches. Element—Selects elements. For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760).
Patch Select Modifier Edge—Selects an edge beneath the cursor; the edge. Available only when Edge is not the current sub-object level. region selection selects multiple edges within the region. Get Patch Selection—Selects vertices, edges, Patch—Selects a patch beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple patches within the region. or elements based on the last patch selection. This selection is added to the current selection. Available only when Patch is not the current sub-object level.
754 Chapter 8: Modifiers Copy—Places a named selection into the copy buffer. Paste—Pastes a named selection from the copy buffer. Select Open Edges—Selects all edges with only one face. In most objects, this will show you where missing patches exist. Available only at the Edge sub-object level. Selection Info At the bottom of the Patch Select Parameters rollout is a text display giving you information about the current selection.
PathDeform Modifier Parameters rollout U Percent—Moves the object along the U (horizontal) axis of the gizmo patch, based on a percentage of the U distance. This spinner defaults to a setting of 50 percent, which places the object at the center of the gizmo patch. A setting of 0 percent places the object at the left edge of the gizmo patch, as seen from the viewport where the patch was created. U Stretch—Scales the object along the U (horizontal) axis of the gizmo patch.
756 Chapter 8: Modifiers rotate and twist it about the path. There’s also a world-space modifier version. See PathDeform (WSM) (page 1–552). 2. Apply PathDeform. 3. On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Path. 4. Select a spline or NURBS curve. Deform the object by adjusting the various controls in the Path Deform panel and by editing the path object. Example: To use the PathDeform modifier to curve text: PathDeform creates a wiggle for the snake.
PathDeform Modifier The circle gizmo rotates to run through the specified axes, deforming the text object differently with each change. Parameters rollout 7. Adjust the Percent spinner to view its effect, and then set it to 0. Try the same with Stretch, Rotation, and Twist, and then restore them to their original values. (Tip: Use the Ctrl key with Twist to amplify the effect.) 8. Turn Flip on and off to switch the direction of the path. 9.
758 Chapter 8: Modifiers object takes up only a portion of the path, so the effect can be subtle. Path Deform Axis group X/Y/Z—Choose one to rotate the gizmo path to align with a specified local axis of the object. Flip—Reverses the gizmo path 180 degrees about the specified axis. • Nth-frame sampling, so you can sample every few frames to save disk space if sampling every frame is unnecessary, or record multiple samples per frame for improved motion blurring.
Point Cache Modifier This turns off all the object’s modifiers below Point Cache so that only the cached vertex animation will appear when you play back the animation. Interface Parameters rollout 8. Click Play Animation again. This time the animation plays back quickly and smoothly. Cache File group Contains settings for recording vertex animation. [file name]—After you record or load a cache file, its name appears in this field.
760 Chapter 8: Modifiers New—Creates a new, empty cache file. After setting a new file, use Record to create the cache data. Load—Loads a vertex animation from a cache file on disk into the Point Cache modifier. If the number of vertices in the cache file does not match the number of vertices in the object, a warning appears, but no error occurs. Unload—Temporarily frees the current cache file, so it can be edited or deleted externally. Reload—Reopens the current cache file, if previously unloaded.
Point Cache Modifier using this option prevents each object from thrashing the disk on playback. Be conservative in using this, as it can consume a great deal of memory. However, if one cache file is used by several objects, the cache is loaded into memory only once. Slave—These options apply if 3ds Max is running as a network-rendering client; see the preceding for details.
762 Chapter 8: Modifiers End Frame—The frame number at which the cached animation starts playing back. Using decimal fractions lets you start at a sub-frame setting when using a Frame:Ticks time display. Available only when Playback Type is set to Custom Range. Default=0.0. Frame—Lets you animate playback of the cache; for details, see Playback Graph, above. Clamp Graph—Controls what gets loaded when the Playback Graph frame is out of the original recorded range.
Poly Select Modifier the Poly Select modifier. The Turn To Poly modifier provides conversion options that aren’t available with the Poly Select modifier. Parameters rollout 2. Apply the Poly Select modifier. 3. Select vertices, faces, or polygons. 4. Add another modifier to affect only the selection from step 3. Interface Modifier Stack Vertex—Selects vertices. Edge—Selects edges. Border—Selects borders. Polygon—Selects polygons. Element—Selects elements.
764 Chapter 8: Modifiers all sub-objects in the new level that touch the previous selection. For example, if you select a vertex, and then Ctrl +click the Polygon button, all polygons that use that vertex are selected. • To convert the selection to only sub-objects all of whose source components are originally selected, hold down both Ctrl and Shift as you change the level.
Poly Select Modifier Select by Material ID group Selects faces based on their material ID. ID—Set the spinner to the ID number you want to Ring selection adds to the selection all the edges that are parallel to the ones selected originally. Loop—Expands the selection as far as possible, in alignment with selected edges. Loop applies only to edge and border selections, and propagates only through four-way junctions.
766 Chapter 8: Modifiers Selection Info Procedures At the bottom of the Parameters rollout for Mesh Select is a text display giving you information about the current selection. If 0 or more than one sub-object is selected, the text gives the number and type selected. If one sub-object is selected, the text gives the ID number and type of the selected item. Using the Preserve modifier: Note: When the current sub-object type is Element, 1. Create an object. Before you edit it, create a copy. 2.
Preserve Modifier inverted selection) move up toward the selected vertices. 7. Turn off Invert Selection and slowly reduce the Iterations to 0. The object now looks as it did before you applied Preserve. Example: Animating a preserved object: You can animate the Preserve parameters, but the following procedure shows you how to use Morph and Preserve together. 1. Remove the Preserve modifier from the copied sphere, and go to object level (instead of sub-object level). 8.
768 Chapter 8: Modifiers 3. Apply Preserve to the third patch, using the 3. Use the Modify panel to select the top four vertices in the second box. Move them upward in Z, making the copied box taller than the original. 4. Apply Preserve, and pick the first box as the original. The selected vertices move down to match the original edge lengths. 5. Set Iterations to 0 to move the vertices back up, then turn on Invert Selection, and set iterations back up to 25.
Projection Modifier Pick Original—Click this, and then select an unmodified copy of the current object. You should pick an object with the same topology as the current object, which has the same number of vertices. While you can select a completely different object with equal vertices, the results are unpredictable. Note: If all of the check boxes are turned off, Preserve uses whatever active selection is passed up the stack.
770 Chapter 8: Modifiers you want to proceed. (The same is true of the Automatic Flatten UVs modifier.) 1. In the Projection modifier, go to the Face or Element sub-object level. See Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) (page 1–771). Projection and Sub-Object Selections You can match geometry to sub-object selections. There are two ways to do so: matching material IDs, or matching named selections of sub-object geometry. 2.
Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) Selection Check Rollout (Projection Modifier) (page 1–775) Projection Rollout (Projection Modifier) (page 1–776) Selection Rollout (Projection Modifier) Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Projection > Selection rollout The Projection modifier’s Selection rollout is for managing sub-object selections. Interface The Face sub-object level lets you assign different source geometry to different portions of a surface.
772 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Sub-material drop-down list—When a multi/sub-object material is applied to the low-res object, this list shows the names and numbers of sub-materials that are assigned to faces or elements of the object. When you have selected by material ID, the corresponding sub-material appears in the field above the list. Interface Clear Selection—When on, each stack, smoothing group, or material ID selection you make replaces the previous selection.
Cage Rollout (Projection Modifier) they’re associated. If you have picked a high-res object at the object level, it also shows “Object Level” followed by the name of the source object. Proportion Multiplier—When Proportional is chosen for sub-object normal bump mapping in the Projection Mapping group of the Objects To Bake rollout (page 3–158) for Render To Texture, this value multiplies the default size of the normal bump map. Range=0.0 to 2.0. Default=1.0.
774 Chapter 8: Modifiers This reshapes the cage, roughly enveloping the high-resolution object(s). Interface 2. On the Cage rollout, click Export. This creates a separate geometrical object in the same shape as the cage, with the same type and topology as the low-resolution object. We’ll call this the cage object. For example, if the low-resolution object is an editable poly, or has an Edit Poly modifier at the top of the modifier stack, the resultant cage object is of editable poly type. 3.
Selection Check Rollout (Projection Modifier) target object, showing how the projection will be done. Default=off. Push group These controls let you adjust the size of the cage as a whole, or on a sub-object selection if one is currently chosen (see Reference Geometry Rollout (Projection Modifier) (page 1–772)). Amount—Change to adjust the size of the cage in 3ds Max units. Positive values increase the size of the cage; negative values decrease the size. Default=0.0.
776 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface is a conflict, the results say something such as, “6 Mat IDs are assigned to more than one selection.” Projection Rollout (Projection Modifier) Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Projection > Projection rollout The Projection rollout has controls for projecting data from the object with the Projection modifier to a different object.
Project Mapping Rollout (Projection Modifier) Add—Adds a projector of the type chosen in the drop-down list. Project to—Shows the name of the geometry to rollout is visible when a Project Mapping instance is highlighted in the Projector list on the Projection rollout (page 1–776). Use Project Mapping to project a map channel value, material IDs, or vertex attributes from the object that has the Projection modifier applied, onto other geometry. which you’re projecting.
778 Chapter 8: Modifiers Projection Holder group Projection Holder name field—Shows the name of the Projection Holder modifier. If you edit this field, the change is reflected in the target object’s stack, but not until you click Project on the Projection rollout. Create New Holder—When you click the Project button in the Project rollout, a Projection Holder modifier is added to the geometry selection. When Create New Holder is on, 3ds Max creates and adds a new modifier each time you click Project.
Push Modifier Interface The Projection Holder modifier has no parameters. Relax Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Relax Push Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Push Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Parametric Deformers > Push The Push modifier lets you "push" object vertices outward or inward along the average vertex normals. This produces an "inflation" effect that you can’t otherwise obtain.
780 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Positive Relax values move each vertex in closer to its neighbors. The object becomes smoother and smaller. • When the Relax value=0.0, vertices do not move and Relax has no affect on the object. • Negative Relax values move each vertex away from its neighbors. The object becomes more irregular and larger. Original objects compared to relaxed objects Relax Values=1.0, 0.0, -1.
Renderable Spline Modifier Renderable Spline Modifier Select a shape. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Renderable Spline Iterations=0,1, 5 Relax Value=-0.5 Keep Boundary Pts Fixed—Controls whether vertices at the edges of open meshes are moved. Default=on. When Keep Boundary Pts Fixed is on, boundary vertices do not move while the rest of the object is relaxed. This option is particularly useful when working with multiple objects, or multiple elements within a single object, that share open edges.
782 Chapter 8: Modifiers Enable In Viewport—When on, the shape is displayed in the viewport as a 3D mesh using the Radial or Rectangular parameters set for Renderer. In previous versions of the program, the Display Render Mesh performed the same operation. Use Viewport Settings—Lets you set different parameters for viewport display and rendering, and displays the mesh generated by the Viewport settings in the viewports. Available only when Enable in Viewport is turned on.
Ripple Modifier Set Length and Width both to 100.0, and set Length Segs and Width Segs both to 10. Ripple Modifier The Plane object is useful as the basis for the surface of a body of water in which ripples form. Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Ripple Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Parametric Deformers > Ripple The Ripple modifier lets you produce a concentric rippling effect in an object’s geometry.
784 Chapter 8: Modifiers 7. Drag slowly upward or downward on the Phase Parameters rollout spinner. Increasing the Phase value moves the waves inward, and decreasing it moves the outward. To animate the waves, create keyframes (page 3–717) for the Phase value. To simulate an object dropping in liquid, use the Decay setting. 8. Drag slowly upward on the Decay spinner. The farther you drag, the more the wave sizes decrease with the distance from the center of the effect.
Select By Channel Modifier Select By Channel Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Select By Channel The Select By Channel modifier works in conjunction with the Channel Info utility (page 2–1738). After you store a vertex selection into a subcomponent with Channel Info, use Select By Channel to quickly access the selection.
786 Chapter 8: Modifiers outward. If an object has no faces with at least one free edge, Shell will not create any edges. Examples of Shell Usage Following are some examples of modeling tasks for which the Shell modifier would be appropriate: • An artist is modeling a vehicle such as a car, a tank, or, in this case, a helicopter. The artist builds a solid external shell as the body of the copter.
Shell Modifier material IDs, and apply a Multi/Sub-Object material (page 2–1594). 6. Interface Likewise, Shell keeps the texture coordinates of the new surfaces consistent with those of the original object. To change these on the new edges, change the Edge Mapping choice, and with the Strip and Interpolate choices, optionally change the TV Offset setting.
788 Chapter 8: Modifiers The sum of the two Amount settings determines the thickness of the object’s shell, as well as the default width of the edges. If you set both to 0, the resultant shell has no thickness, and resembles an object set to display as 2-sided. Segments—The number of subdivisions across each edge. Default=1. Change this setting if you need greater resolution on the edge for use by subsequent modeling or modifiers.
Shell Modifier If you don’t specify a material ID, the surface uses the same material ID or IDs as the original faces from which the edges are derived. • Copy—Each edge face uses the same UVW coordinates as the original face from which it’s derived. Edge Mat ID—Specifies the material ID for edge • None—Each edge face is assigned a U value of 0 and a V value of 1. Thus, if a map is assigned, the edges will take the color of the upper-left pixel. faces. Available only when Override Edge MatID is on.
790 Chapter 8: Modifiers Procedures To skew an object: 1. Select an object, go to the Modify panel, and choose Skew from modifier list. 2. On the Parameters rollout, set the axis of the skew to X, Y, or Z. This is the axis of the Skew gizmo, not the axis of the selected object. Box with Straighten Corners off (left) and on (right) Skew Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Skew Make a selection.
Skin Modifier Interface Modifier Stack Direction—Sets the direction of the skew relative to the horizontal plane. Skew Axis group X/Y/Z—Specify the axis that will be skewed. Note that this axis is local to the Skew gizmo and not related to the selected entity. Default=Z. Gizmo—At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like any other object, altering the effect of the Skew modifier. Translating the gizmo translates its center an equal distance.
792 Chapter 8: Modifiers By default, each vertex that’s affected by a single bone is given a weight value of 1.0, which means it’s affected by that bone only. Vertices within the intersection of two bones’ envelopes have two weight values: one for each bone. And you can use Skin modifier toolsets such as the Weight Tool dialog (page 1–807) to arbitrarily assign vertices to any number of bones. The ratio of a vertex’s weight values, which always total 1.
Skin Modifier 4. In the Weight Properties group, change the Abs. Effect parameter to the new vertex weight. To mirror envelope or vertex weight settings: Example: To apply the Skin modifier to a cylinder with a bones skeleton: 1. 1. Adjust envelopes and vertex weights on one side of the mesh. 2. In the middle of the Top viewport, click and drag 20 units to create the base of the cylinder. 2. On the Mirror Parameters rollout, click Mirror Mode.
794 Chapter 8: Modifiers The cylinder deforms to follow the bones. To adjust envelopes to refine the surface deformation, choose the Skin modifier’s Envelope sub-object level, and use the Edit Envelopes controls to resize envelopes and change vertex weights. Example: To use a morph angle deformer: Create the cylinder and bones from the preceding procedure before you continue with this procedure. 1. At frame 50, animate bone 2 so that bones 1 and 2 represent a 90-degree angle. 2.
Skin Modifier Parameters rollout Edit Envelopes—Use this sub-object level to work on envelopes and vertex weights. Select group The following filtering options are grouped together to help you work on a particular task, by preventing you from accidentally selecting the wrong item in the viewports. Vertices—Turn on for vertex selection. You can rotate around selected vertices using Arc Rotate SubObject (page 3–744) from the Arc Rotate flyout (page 3–744).
796 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: You must select at least two vertices to use the Ring selection. • Select Element—When on, selects all vertices of the element you select, as long as you select at least one vertex from that element. Example: $’Sphere01’.modifiers[#Skin].shortenBoneNames = false Tip: You can edit your selection by holding For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript Reference, available from Help menu > MAXScript Reference.
Skin Modifier Radius—Select an envelope cross section, and use Radius to resize it. In order to select a cross section, the Cross Sections option in the Select group must be checked. You can also click and drag a cross section control point in a viewport to resize it. Squash—A squash multiplier for bones that stretch. This is a single value that reduces or increases the amount of squash applied to a bone when it is stretched with Freeze Length off, and Squash on.
798 Chapter 8: Modifiers Weight Properties group Select Excluded Verts—Selects all vertices excluded from the current bone (see Exclude Selected Verts, preceding). Bake Selected Verts—Click to bake the current vertex weights. Baked weights are not affected by envelope changes, only by changes to Abs. Effect or weights in the Weight Table (page 1–810). Weight Tool—Displays the Weight Tool dialog (page 1–807), which offers control tools to help you assign and blend weights on selected vertices.
Skin Modifier Mirror Parameters rollout Paste Green to Blue Bones—Pastes the envelope settings from green bones to blue. Paste Blue to Green Bones—Pastes the envelope settings from blue bones to green. Paste Green to Blue Verts—Pastes the individual vertex assignments from all green vertices to the corresponding blue vertices. Paste Blue to Green Verts—Pastes the individual vertex assignments from all blue vertices to the corresponding green vertices.
800 Chapter 8: Modifiers Negative options allow selection of vertices on one side of the character only. The None option does not project selected vertices to either side. Default=Default Display. Tip: You can use the Positive and Negative options to temporarily project the display of one side’s vertices to the other side so you can see how the vertices align. This can be helpful when determining the correct Mirror Plane settings for an asymmetrical mesh.
Skin Modifier Advanced Parameters rollout move the time slider to frame 0; turn off Always Deform, move the bones into the correct position and turn on Always Deform. Back Transform Vertices—Allows you to link the mesh to the bone structure. Ordinarily, when you do this, any movement of the bones causes the mesh to move twice as far as it should, because it moves once with the bones and once with the link. Checking this option prevents the mesh from moving twice under these circumstances.
802 Chapter 8: Modifiers Save/Load—Allows you to save and load the envelope position and shape, as well as the vertex weights. If you load a saved file onto a different system of bones, you can use the Load Envelopes dialog (page 1–805) to match the incoming bones to the current bones. Update on mouse up—When on and the mouse button is pressed down, no updates take place. When the mouse button is released, updates occur. This option helps keep workflow moving quickly by avoiding unnecessary updates.
Skin Modifier Keep these distinctions in mind when you select vertices to deform. For example, if you want to use the Joint Angle deformer, then select vertices close to the joint that will drive the deformation. If you want the parent bone vertices to deform like a biceps muscle, then select vertices that are only assigned to the parent bone before adding the Bulge Angle deformer.
804 Chapter 8: Modifiers Deformer Parameters rollout List Window—Contains the current morph targets and associated bone angles. Naming Field—Select a morph target and rename it in this field. Add from stack—Uses the current state of the stack to get the morph target. Ideally, you have put an Edit Mesh modifier on top of the stack and done your edits before you click Add From Stack. Add from node—Uses another object as your morph target for this angle.
Load Envelopes Dialog (Skin Modifier) are almost identical in the way they operate. The difference is that the Bulge Angle deformer only works on vertices of the parent bone, while the Joint Angle deformer works on vertices on both the child and parent bone. To apply either of these deformers, first select the child link, then select vertices on the mesh, and then apply the deformer. Remember to turn on Vertices in the Parameters rollout > Select group before region-selecting vertices in the viewports.
806 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Match by Name—Resorts the Incoming list and matches any bones that have the same name in the list of current envelopes. Remove Incoming Prefix—Removes any prefixes on the names of the incoming envelopes. Remove Current Prefix—Removes any prefixes on the names of the current envelopes. Load End Points—Loads the envelope end point positions. Load Cross Sections—Loads the envelope cross sections. Load Vertex Data—When on, loads weights at the vertex level.
Weight Tool Dialog Weight Tool Dialog Select an object that has the Skin modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Skin modifier > Parameters rollout > Weight Properties group > Weight Tool button This dialog is launched from the Skin modifier (page 1–791) and provides tools to select vertices and assign them weights. You can also copy, paste, and blend weights between vertices. Each vertex you select displays the objects contributing to its weighting in the dialog list.
808 Chapter 8: Modifiers The left vertices are weighted 1.0 and the right vertices are weighted 0.25. 6. Click the + button directly under the .9 weight button repeatedly until the vertices are red (that is, the weight is 1.0). As you increase the vertices’ weight, they gradually change color. 7. Select a few other vertices, and assign them a weight of 0.250. 8. Select all weighted vertices and repeatedly click Blend.
Weight Tool Dialog Interface The two separate colors blend into a smooth gradient. Shrink—Modifies the current vertex selection by progressively subtracting the outermost vertices from the selection. Has no effect if all vertices in an object are selected. Grow—Modifies the current vertex selection by progressively adding neighborhood vertices of the selected object. You must start with at least one vertex to be able to grow your selection.
810 Chapter 8: Modifiers Vertex information [specific weight values]—Assigns an absolute weight value between 0 and 1 for the active bone to the selected vertices. Note: When you click one of these buttons, the active bone is added to the list of bones influencing each of the selected vertices, if necessary. Set Weight—Sets an absolute weight based on the field value. Default=0.5. Note: The spinner increments the field value by steps of 0.05. +/-—Increases/decreases each selected vertex’s weight by 0.
Weight Table (Skin Modifier) • Highlight a weight and type in a new weight. • Select vertices by dragging over vertex IDs, then click and drag one weight to change all selected weights for the bone. • Right-click to enter a value of 0. • Ctrl +right-click to enter a value of 1.0. Menu options: Edit menu—Copy/paste vertex weights, and choose vertices to edit. • Copy: Copies weights for highlighted vertices. • Paste: Pastes the copied weights.
812 Chapter 8: Modifiers Skin Morph Modifier The Skin Morph modifier lets you use a bone’s rotation to drive a morph; that is, a deformation of the object mesh. Skin Morph is intended for use with a Skin or comparable modifier (e.g., Physique); add the Skin Morph modifier after the skin-type modifier.
Skin Morph Modifier 9. Move vertices to where they should be at the Parameters rollout current frame. 10. Click Edit again to exit this mode, and then test the animation. Interface Skin Morph modifier stack Points sub-object level—At the Points sub-object level, you can view and select vertices on the skin mesh. However, you can transform these vertices only when Edit mode is on.
814 Chapter 8: Modifiers Highlighting a morph in the list lets you edit the morph. To change the morph’s name, edit the Local Properties rollout > Morph Name field. Selection rollout Add Bone—Click to add one or more bones from the Select Bones dialog. Tip: To keep things simple, add only bones that will drive morphs. There’s no point in adding any other bones. Pick Bone—Lets you add bones by selecting them in a viewport. Click Pick Bone, and then select bones in any viewport.
Skin Morph Modifier soft-selection characteristics globally; it works much like other such graphs in 3ds Max, such as Curve Editor (page 2–507). The toolbar above the graph offers functions for moving and scaling points on the graph, as well as inserting new ones. The same functions are available by right-clicking the graph: If you right-click a graph point, you can set it to Corner or one of two different Bezier types. If you select a Bezier point, you can reshape the curve by moving its handles.
816 Chapter 8: Modifiers morph and adds it as a child to the highlighted bone in the list window. Tip: By default, the Show Edges switch is on, the muscle should be largest at frame 150 instead, go to frame 150, choose the morph in the list box, and then click Reset Orientation. which might make it difficult to see the vertices themselves. To see only the vertices, turn off Options rollout > Show Edges.
Skin Morph Modifier Falloff—Determines the rate of change of the morph as the bone moves within the influence angle. Use the drop-down list to choose one of four different falloff types: Linear, Sinual, Fast, or Slow. If you choose Custom Falloff, you can then click the G (for Graph) button and edit the falloff using standard curve-graph controls. Reload only selected verts—When on, Reload Target copies only the positions of vertices selected in the Skin Morph mesh from the target mesh.
818 Chapter 8: Modifiers Preview Bone— Highlights the target bone in red in the viewports. Preview Vertices—Displays the morphing-qualified vertices in red in the viewports, as well as any animation present in the source vertices. Mirror Plane—The axis for the mirror plane. The plane is perpendicular to the indicated axis. Default=X. Mirror Offset—The position for the mirror plane on the Mirror Plane axis. Default=0.0.
Skin Wrap Modifier control object, and point refers to a vertex on the base object. Procedure With Skin Wrap, you can modify the structure and topology of the high-resolution object after setting up the animation. The animation remains intact because it is actually contained in the control object. 1.
820 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Parameters rollout Skin Wrap modifier stack Control Vertices sub-object level—At the Control Vertices sub-object level, you can view and select vertices on the control object(s), and set local parameters (page 1–821) for any selected vertices. By default, each selected vertex is surrounded by loops that depict its volume of influence.
Skin Wrap Modifier adding, right-click in the viewport or click Add again. You can use as a control object anything that can be converted to a triangle mesh, such as a mesh, patch, or a NURBS object. However, avoid using objects that change topology, such as a deforming NURBS object with adaptive tessellation. Remove—Removes control objects from the list. Click an object in the list, and then click Remove. Deformation Engine—Determines which engine drives the deformation. Default=Vertex Deformation.
822 Chapter 8: Modifiers selected points. If you select a single point, the numeric fields reflect its current parameter values. If you select multiple points, 3ds Max displays only those values common to all selected points; parameters with differing values are blank. With multiple points selected, changing a value sets all selected points to that value. Local Str(ength)—Determines the power and direction by which the control-object vertex affect points under its influence in the base object.
Skin Wrap Modifier Advanced Parameters rollout Note: For mirror data to be visible, the Skin Wrap > Control Vertices sub-object level must be active. Mirror Plane—Choose the X, Y, or Z axis for mirroring. Mirror Offset—Moves the mirror plane as well as all mirrored vertices. Mirror Threshold—Sets the distance, in system units, that Skin Wrap uses to find a control vertex near a projected vertex. Increase this if vertex locations are not the same on either side of the mirror plane.
824 Chapter 8: Modifiers These settings determine whether or not the software displays different elements in the Skin Wrap modifier. Display Loops—Displays volumes of influence for selected control vertices as red loops. Default=on. Display Axis—Displays the axis tripods for selected control vertices. Default=on. Display Face Limit—Shows all base-object points that the selected control vertex or vertices can affect. This is a visualization of the Face Limit setting. Default=on.
Slice Modifier Slice Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Slice Select an object. > Modifiers menu > Parametric Deformers > Slice The Slice modifier lets you create a cutting plane that slices through a mesh, creating new vertices, edges and faces based on the location of the slice plane gizmo. The vertices can either refine or split the mesh according to the selected options.
826 Chapter 8: Modifiers Warning: Slice and Sub-Object Selections You can use Slice on sub-object selection sets by slicing or removing only the selected faces. However, because selected faces are sliced and unselected adjacent faces are not, there may be "holes" in the mesh on the edge where the slice occurs. These holes can be problematic, creating discontinuities in smoothing and rendering. Holes are created only when Operate On Faces is on.
Slice Modifier For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760). eliminating hidden edges. Outputs a polymesh-type object (page 1–1022). Slice Parameters rollout Slice Type—Defines how the slice plane will affect the geometry to which it has been applied. • Refine Mesh—Adds new vertices and edges along the intersection of the geometry with the slicing plane. Faces cut by the plane are subdivided into new faces.
828 Chapter 8: Modifiers Smooth Modifier Procedures To smooth an object: Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Smooth 1. Select the object to be smoothed. Select an object. > Modifiers menu > Mesh Editing > Smooth 2. The Smooth modifier provides auto-smoothing based on the angle of adjacent faces. You can apply new smoothing groups to objects. Smoothing eliminates the facets on geometry by grouping faces into smoothing groups.
Spherify Modifier between their normals is less than the threshold angle. Prevent Indirect Smoothing—Turn on to prevent smoothing ’leaks" when using Auto Smooth. If you apply Auto Smooth to an object, and portions of that object that should not be smoothed become smoothed, then turn on Prevent Indirect Smoothing to see if it corrects the problem. Note: This option has an effect only when Auto Smooth is selected.
830 Chapter 8: Modifiers 3. On the Modify panel, choose Spherify from the Modifier List. Turn the Auto Key button on. 4. 5. Set the Spherify Percent to 0. Use the Spline IK Control modifier to prepare a spline or NURBS curve for use with the Spline IK Solver. See also Spline IK (page 2–473) 6. Move the time slider ahead to frame 30. 7. Set the Spherify Percent to 100. Interface Turn the Auto Key button off. 8. 9. Drag the time slider to play the animation, or click Play.
Spline Select Modifier Link Types group Box—Places a small box-shaped Point helper at each knot. Size—Sets the size for helpers. Constant Screen Size—Keeps the sizes of helpers constant regardless of the zoom extent of the viewports. These options cause helpers to be linked upon creation. Draw On Top—Displays the helpers on top of all Link All in Hierarchy—Links each helper to its immediately previous helper.
832 Chapter 8: Modifiers 4. In the viewports, select vertices, segments, or Select Segment rollout splines. Tip: You can transform the selection using an XForm modifier (page 1–959) or Linked XForm modifier (page 1–712). Interface Modifier Stack The sub-object level you choose for the spline select modifier determines which rollout appears. (There are no parameters at the top, object level.) Get Vertex Selection, Get Spline Selection—Select segments based on the last vertex or spline selection.
Squeeze Modifier You can copy a named selection from one object to another or one modifier to another. You must copy and paste in the same sub-object level. Squeeze Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Squeeze Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Parametric Deformers > Squeeze The Squeeze modifier lets you apply a squeezing effect to objects, in which the vertices closest to the object’s pivot point (page 3–995) move inward.
834 Chapter 8: Modifiers Amount—Controls the magnitude of the bulging effect. Higher values effectively elongate the object and cause the ends to curve outward. Curve—Sets the degree of curvature on the bulging ends. You can use this to control whether the bulge is smooth or pointy. Radial Squeeze group These controls let you apply a squeeze effect around the Squeeze gizmo’s local Z axis, which is aligned by default with the object’s local Z axis. Amount—Controls the magnitude of the squeezing action.
STL Check Modifier Procedure Errors group To check an object for STL compatibility: Choosing one of these options selects incorrect geometry specific to the choice, and selects it depending on the option chosen in the Selections group. 1. Select the object, then on the Modify panel, choose Mesh Editing > STL Check from the Modifier List. 2. Turn on Check. The message in the Status group shows if errors are found.
836 Chapter 8: Modifiers Status—Displays the number of errors when Check Procedures is on. To stretch an object: Tip: If Select Edges is turned off, you can see 1. Select an object. faces in error by applying an Edit Mesh modifier (page 1–634) and selecting by material ID at the Face sub-object level. You can also assign a Multi/Sub-Object material (page 2–1594) to the object to help you see where the errors are. 2. Apply Stretch. 3.
Stretch Modifier Parameters rollout The calculated scale factor is applied to the selected stretch axis and the inverse scale is applied to the minor axes. Stretch values of 0.0, 0.5, and -0.5 Amplify—Changes the scale factor applied to the Use options in the Parameters rollout to set the following: • Amount of stretch • Major stretch axis • Area affected by the stretch Stretch group The Stretch group of the Parameters rollout has two fields that control the amount of stretch scaling applied.
838 Chapter 8: Modifiers • The scale factor calculated from the Stretch Amount is applied to the Stretch Axis. • The inverse scale factor is applied to the remaining minor axes. Limiting the effect of Stretch Effects of changing the Stretch axis Click Sub-Object and move the modifier’s center to change the location of the limited stretch areas. The Upper and Lower Limit boundaries move with the modifier center to maintain their specified distances.
Subdivide Modifier Subdivide Modifier Make a selection. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Subdivide Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Radiosity Modifiers > Subdivide The Subdivide modifier provides an algorithm for creating meshes used for radiosity (page 3–51) processing. Processing radiosity requires meshes that have elements shaped as close as possible to equilateral triangles.
840 Chapter 8: Modifiers Manual—Updates only when Update Now is pressed. Subdivision can be interrupted using the Esc key. If the subdivision is interrupted the Update mode is changed to Manual. Update Now—Updates the mesh when Manual is turned on. Display Subdivision—Controls whether all of the triangles are visible, or only the edges where face properties are changing. Allows you to reduce the visible triangles in the scene if it appears cluttered. Substitute Modifier Make a selection.
Substitute Modifier Alternatively, click the ... button to the right of Pick Scene Object and select an object from the dialog that is displayed. Parameters rollout The original object is replaced by an instance of the substitute object. 3. To see the original object in the viewport, turn off In Viewport. To see the original object in the final rendering, turn off In Render. To permanently disable the substitution, delete the modifier. To use an externally referenced object as a substitute: 1.
842 Chapter 8: Modifiers Substitute Assignment group Pick Scene Object—Lets you choose an object from the current scene to be instanced as a substitute for the selected object. Click Pick Scene Object, and then select the object from a viewport to use as a substitute. If In Viewport is on and Retain Current Position is off (the default settings), an instance (page 3–957) of the substitute object appears in the place of the original object.
Surface Modifier the splines using an Edit Spline modifier below the Surface modifier in the modifier stack. Since the Surface modifier creates a Patch surface, further refinements can be made to the patch model by adding an Edit Patch modifier above the Surface modifier. 4. Apply the Surface modifier, then adjust the weld threshold to generate a patch object.
844 Chapter 8: Modifiers Modeling Examples Face: Spline network based on front and profile reference images Scooter: Splines form cross sections of the body One method of using Surface Tools is to create splines that represent a model’s cross sections, then the CrossSection and Surface modifiers are applied to create the patch surface. Two intersecting texture-mapped polygons are used as a reference to create a network of splines manually.
Surface Modifier Rhino head: Spline network begins with the profile. In the top image, the head of a rhinoceros is modeled by creating a network of splines. The first spline created is the profile of the rhino; other splines are added and edited to complete the model. In this case, a reference copy of the spline model was created and a Surface modifier was added to the copy. As the spline network is edited, the patch surface of the reference copy is updated dynamically.
846 Chapter 8: Modifiers rollout, such as Line (page 1–270), Circle (page 1–273), Arc (page 1–274), and Section (page 1–282). Splines can also be created using the Create Line command in an Editable Spline or and Edit Spline modifier. • Splines are edited by applying an Edit Spline modifier to the selected spline object or editing parameters in an Editable Spline. Editing splines changes the patch surface created by the Surface modifier.
Surface Modifier 5. In the stack display, choose the Surface modifier Interface again. Now the five-sided NGon is a patch object, consisting of a quad patch and a tri patch. Note: If the spline object did not turn into a patch, increase the Surface modifier’s Threshold parameter until the patches appear. Example continued: Adjusting the shape of the spline: 1. In the stack display, expand the Edit Spline modifier’s hierarchy, and choose the Vertex sub-object level. 2.
848 Chapter 8: Modifiers Patch Topology group 3. On the Parameters rollout, click Pick Surface. Steps—The steps field spinner determines how many steps are used between each vertex. The higher the step count, the smoother the curve you will get between vertices. 4. Select a NURBS Point or CV surface. 5. Deform the object by adjusting the controls in the Surface Deform group. Interface SurfDeform Modifier Select an object.
Sweep Modifier that you create in 3ds Max or import from other MAX files. Note: This modifier is similar to the Extrude modifier in that once the Sweep is applied to a spline, the end result is a 3D mesh object. Both sections and paths can contain multiple splines or multiple NURBS curves. This modifier is very useful for creating structural steel details, molding details, or in any situation where you need to extrude a section along a spline. The line takes on the shape of an angled extrusion. 3.
850 Chapter 8: Modifiers Built-In Section group Built-In Section list—Clicking the arrow button for • Wide Flange section—Sweeps a structural wide flange section along the spline. this list displays common structural sections. Use Custom Section—Choose this if you’ve created your own section or there is another shape in the current scene or in another MAX file that you’d like to use as your section.
Sweep Modifier Note: When you use the Merge from File option, you will not be able to Undo your work. Move—Sweeps the custom section along the specified spline. Unlike the Instance, Copy and Reference switches, the selected section is moved to the spline. Editing the original shape in the viewports has no effect on the Sweep mesh. Copy—Sweeps a copy of the selected section along the specified spline. Instance—Sweeps an instance (page 3–957) of the selected section to the specified spline.
852 Chapter 8: Modifiers Parameters rollout Edge Radii—Controls the interior radius at the outermost edges of the vertical and horizontal legs. Default=0.0. The Parameters rollout is context-sensitive and displays different settings depending upon the built-in section you’ve chosen to sweep along a spline. For example, more complex sections such as the Angle have seven settings that you can change whereas the Quarter-Round has only one setting. Note: Be cautious when adjusting these settings.
Sweep Modifier Thickness—Controls the thickness of both legs of the channel. Default=0.5. Radius—Controls the exterior radius of the pipe Sync Corner Fillets—When on, Corner Radius 1 controls the radius of both the interior and exterior corners between the vertical web and horizontal legs. It also maintains the thickness of the section. Default=off. Thickness—Controls the thickness of the wall of Corner Radius 1—Controls the exterior radius between the vertical web and horizontal legs of the channel.
854 Chapter 8: Modifiers Parameters rollout – Tube Parameters rollout – Wide Flange Length—Controls the height of the vertical web of the wide flange section. Default=14.0. Width—Controls the width of the horizontal Length—Controls the height of the tube section. flanges crossing the section. Default=8.0. Default=6.0. Thickness—Controls the thickness of the web and Width—Controls the width of the tube section. flanges. Default=0.5. Default=6.0.
Sweep Modifier Sweep Parameters rollout Left: The object shows the default state. Right: The object has Mirror On XY Plane turned on. X Offset—Lets you shift the horizontal position of the section relative to the underlying spline. Left: The section is in the default position. Right: The section is offset –10 relative to the underlying spline path (red). Y Offset—Lets you shift the vertical position of the section relative to the underlying spline.
856 Chapter 8: Modifiers Angle—Allows you to rotate the section relative to the plane on which the underlying spline is located. Note: When none of the Pivot Alignment buttons is depressed the pivot point of the section is used as the alignment point. Align Pivot—When turned on, a 3D representation of the Pivot Alignment grid appears in the viewport. You only see the 3x3 alignment grid, the section and the underlying spline path.
Pick Shape Dialog separate splines contained in one shape object. So a figure X (separate, intersecting splines) will be properly intersected, but a figure 8 (a single, self-intersecting spline) will not. Gen. Mapping Coords—Applies mapping coordinates to the extruded object. Default=off. Real-World Map Size—Controls the scaling method used for texture mapped materials that are applied to the object.
858 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface By Color—Sorts by object wireframe color. The sorting order is arbitrary; shapes of the same color are grouped together. By Size—This switch is available but has no effect on sorting. List Types group Because this dialog is specifically designed to work with the Sweep modifier, the List Type group is locked to only display Shapes. Shapes is the only switch in this group that affects what is displayed.
Merge File (Sweep Modifier) 2. Open the Modify panel and click the Extract button from the Custom Section Types group of the Section Types rollout. The Extract Shapes dialog is displayed. 3. Enter a new name for the extracted section if you want. 4. Specify the type of cloned shape you want extracted; a copy, an instance or a reference. 5. Click OK. Interface shapes or section profiles from other scene files into the current scene.
860 Chapter 8: Modifiers This dialog has the same functionality as the Merge File dialog (page 3–463) that appears when you choose File menu > Merge with one minor exception. If you choose a MAX file that does not include a valid 2D shape that can be used as a custom section, you will receive a warning. If the scene file you selected contains multiple shapes, keep in mind that you can only choose one shape to be swept along the spline in your current scene.
Symmetry Modifier By Type—This switch is unavailable when Merge From File is used in the Sweep modifier. By Color—Sorts by object wireframe color. List Types group Because this dialog is specifically designed to work with the Sweep modifier, the List Type group is locked to display only Shapes. None of the switches or buttons in this group can be activated. Symmetry Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Symmetry Make a selection.
862 Chapter 8: Modifiers 2. Apply the Symmetry modifier. The teapot appears to have two spouts. 3. In the modifier stack, click the + button to see the Mirror gizmo, and then select Mirror. The mirror gizmo acts as a slice plane when it is within the boundaries of the object 4. With Mirror Axis set to X, click and drag the mirror gizmo along the X axis. Dragging right slices more of the teapot until there is nothing visible. Dragging left causes a second teapot to appear.
Taper Modifier Mirror—The placement of the mirror gizmo Threshold—The value of the Threshold setting delegates how the object will be affected by symmetry. You can move or rotate, as well as animate the gizmo. delegates how close vertices can be before being automatically welded together. Default=0.1. For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760).
864 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Parameters rollout Modifier Stack Gizmo—At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like any other object, altering the effect of the Taper modifier. Translating the gizmo translates its center an equal distance. Rotating and scaling the gizmo takes place with respect to its center. Center—At this sub-object level, you can translate and animate the center, altering the Taper gizmo’s shape, and thus the shape of the tapered object.
Tessellate Modifier two remaining axes, or their combination. If the primary axis is X, the effect axis can be Y, Z, or YZ. Default=XY. Symmetry—Produces a symmetrical taper around the primary axis. A taper is always symmetrical around the effect axis. Default=off. Changing the effect axis changes the effects of the modifier. Tessellate Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Tessellate Make a selection.
866 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Parameters rollout outward. A negative value creates concave faces by pulling vertices inward. A setting of 0 keeps the faces flat. Also works with the Edge/Polygon method. Default=25. Iterations group Iterations—Specifies how many times the tessellation is applied. For example, setting Iterations to 2 is similar to clicking the Tessellation button twice in an editable mesh, except that you can easily back out at any time while using the Tessellate modifier.
Trim/Extend Modifier To trim, you need intersecting splines. Click the portion of the spline you want to remove. The spline is searched along its length until it hits an intersecting spline, and deleted up to the intersection. If the section intersects at both ends, the entire section is deleted up to the two intersections. If the section is open on one end and intersects at the other, the entire section is deleted up to the intersection and the open end. If the section is not intersected, nothing happens.
868 Chapter 8: Modifiers Operation group Specifies the type of operation that’s performed on the selected spline. None (3D)— Considers only true intersections as the splines exist in 3D space. They must physically intersect to be considered. Auto—When this is chosen, a Trim is first looked for and, if not found, an Extend is attempted. In most cases, a Trim will occur when Auto is chosen. An Extend can occur, however, in cases where an open spline exists without intersecting other splines.
TurboSmooth Modifier Example: To compare the speeds of TurboSmooth and MeshSmooth: 1. Create a Box primitive with Length/Width/ Height Segs=3. Convert the box to editable poly format. 2. Apply MeshSmooth. 3. Set Iterations=5. This creates a heavily subdivided mesh. 4. Go to the Editable Poly > Vertex sub-object level, and turn on Show End Result.
870 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface From right to left, effect of increasing the number of iterations Note: Be cautious when increasing the number of iterations. The number of vertices and faces in an object (and thus the calculation time) can increase as much as four times for each iteration. Applying four iterations to even a moderately complex object can take a long time to calculate. Main group Lets you set the basic parameters for TurboSmooth.
Turn To Mesh Modifier Explicit Normals—Lets the TurboSmooth modifier Manually—Turns on manual updating. When compute normals for its output, which is faster than the standard method 3ds Max uses to compute normals from the mesh object’s smoothing groups. Default=off. manual updating is selected, any settings you change don’t take effect until you click the Update button.
872 Chapter 8: Modifiers Procedure Sub-object Selections group Example: To translate a patch sub-object selection to a polygon sub-object selection: These options control the selection of sub-objects. 1. Select a patch model and turn on wireframe mode. 2. In the stack display, choose the Patch sub-object level. 3. Select a patch on the model. 4. Apply the Turn To Mesh modifier from the Modifier list. 5. In the stack display, right-click the Turn To Mesh modifier and choose Collapse All. 6.
Turn To Patch Modifier the stack. The Turn To Mesh modifier takes the sub-object patch selection into account and selects the mesh faces that derive from the patch selection. Object—Uses Object as the selection level for passing up the rest of the stack. Edge—Uses Edge as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the stack. Vertex—Uses Vertex as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the stack.
874 Chapter 8: Modifiers Clear—Clears the sub-object selection so that nothing is selected. Default=off. Patch—Uses patch as the sub-object selection level for passing up the rest of the stack. Invert—Inverts the sub-object selection. All sub-objects not currently selected are selected, and all sub-objects currently selected are deselected. Default=off.
Turn To Poly Modifier Procedure Interface Example: To prevent interior vertices from being passed up the stack: Parameters rollout 1. Create an NGon in wireframe mode: Create panel > Shapes > Splines > Object Type rollout > NGon. 2. Open the Modify panel and convert the NGon to an editable mesh by right-clicking the stack display and choosing Convert to > Editable Mesh. 3. In the stack display (or in the Selection rollout), choose the Polygon sub-object mode. 4.
876 Chapter 8: Modifiers triangles, rather than joining together more than two triangles into pentagons, hexagons, and so on. the same soft selection will apply to the polymesh vertices. Default=on. Max Size—The maximum number of sides to a For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963). polygon. Require Planar Polygons—Creates polygons composed of flat planes. Does not join faces together across an edge if the edge has a sharper angle than the threshold listed.
Twist Modifier Note: When you apply the Twist modifier, the Twist gizmo’s center is placed at the object’s pivot point, and the gizmo lines up with the object’s local axis. To limit the twist: 1. Turn on Limits group > Limit Effect. 2. Set values for the upper and lower limits. These are distances in current units above and below the modifier’s center, which is at zero on the gizmo’s Z axis. The upper limit can be zero or positive, the lower limit zero or negative.
878 Chapter 8: Modifiers Twist Parameters rollout Upper Limit—Sets the upper limit for the twist effect. Default=0. Lower Limit—Sets the lower limit for the twist effect. Default=0. Unwrap UVW Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Unwrap UVW Select an object. > Modifiers menu > UV Coordinates > Unwrap UVW Twist group Angle—Determines the amount of twist around the vertical axis. Default=0.0.
Unwrap UVW Modifier What Happens to Existing UVW Coordinates When you apply the Unwrap UVW modifier, it stores the object’s current mapping coordinates in the modifier. If the object has no mapping coordinates, the modifier creates new ones by applying planar mapping. If the incoming data on the stack is a face-level or polygon-level sub-object selection, then only the UVWs for the selected faces are brought into the modifier, and the modifier’s sub-object levels are unavailable.
880 Chapter 8: Modifiers Within the single modifier, you can apply as many different mappings as you like to different face selections. 3. It is recommended that you name the selection Pinning Textures Although not its primary purpose, you can use the Unwrap UVW modifier to freeze UVWs. You can apply mapping after an animated deformation and have the mapping stick to the object.
Unwrap UVW Modifier as a guide. If you don’t see them, make sure Parameters rollout > Display Group > Thin Seam Display or Thick Seam Display is active. 7. Open the Edit UVWs dialog (page 1–888) (Parameters rollout > Edit). By default, the editor displays a checkered background. To view the map in the material on the object, you need to change a setting. 8.
882 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edge sub-object level of the modifier gives you handy Ring and Loop tools as well as buttons to expand and shrink the edge selection automatically. seam runs down the back side of a leg, orient the plane along a line running from the right side to the left side of the leg. 7. On the Map Parameters rollout, click Edit Pelt Tip: Creating the pelt seams is more art than Map. exact science.
Unwrap UVW Modifier This opens the Render UVs dialog: 5. At the bottom of the dialog, click Render UV Template. This opens a new rendered frame window (page 3–5) containing the rendered template as a bitmap. Inspect the output, and if changes are necessary, make them on the Render UVs dialog and re-render. 6. When you’re satisfied with the results, click Save Bitmap on the rendered frame window toolbar, and then use the file dialog to specify the file type and name. Click Save to export the file.
884 Chapter 8: Modifiers Modifier Stack display Selection Parameters rollout Use these settings to make or modify a sub-object selection for use by the modifier. If you’ve passed a face selection up the stack, for example from the Poly Select modifier, Unwrap UVW uses that instead, and makes these controls unavailable. Normally, when you apply Unwrap UVW to an object, the modifier stack provides access to Vertex, Edge, and Face sub-object levels.
Unwrap UVW Modifier contiguous faces whose angles are less than the threshold value. Planar Angle is available only at the Face sub-object level. Select MatID—Enables face selection by material ID (page 3–969). Specify the material ID to select, and then click Select MatID. Select MatID is available only at the Face sub-object level. Select SG—Enables face selection by smoothing group (page 3–1013). Specify the smoothing group to select, and then click Select SG.
886 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Thin Seam Display—Displays map seams and pelt seams on object surfaces in the viewports with relatively thin lines. The line thickness remains constant as you zoom the view in and out. Uses the Display seams color. • Thick Seam Display—Displays map seams and pelt seams on object surfaces in the viewports with relatively thick lines. The line thickness increases when you zoom the view in and decreases when you zoom out. Uses the Display seams color. This is the default choice.
Unwrap UVW Modifier Pelt—Applies pelt mapping to the selected faces. Clicking this button activates Pelt mode, in which you can adjust the mapping and edit the pelt map. Note: Pelt mapping always uses a single planar Best Align—Adjusts the mapping gizmo’s position, orientation, and scale to fit that of the face selection, based on the selection’s extents and average normals. mapping for the entire pelt.
888 Chapter 8: Modifiers [Pelt controls] These tools, which give you different ways of specifying pelt seams, are available at all sub-object levels of the modifier. Edit Seams—Lets you specify a pelt seam by selecting edges with the mouse in the viewports. still remembers the last vertex you clicked and draws an accurate seam at the next click. Similarly, you can adjust the viewport using the viewport control buttons (page 3–729) and then return to selecting the seam.
Edit UVWs Dialog UVW vertices. Each UVW face, which has three or more vertices, corresponds to a face in the mesh. The view window displays the UVWs in the 2D-image space of the map, superimposed over a grid. Thicker grid lines show the boundaries of a texture map as it would appear in image space; the lower-left corner of the rectangle has the coordinates (0,0) and the upper-right has the coordinates (1,1).
890 Chapter 8: Modifiers Press and hold Shift before dragging to constrain scaling to the vertical or horizontal axis, depending on how you begin dragging. Move Vertical. Press Shift to constrain the movement to a single axis. Rotate—Lets you select and rotate sub-objects. By default, scaling takes place about the gizmo center. If you’ve moved the pivot (see following item), you can scale about the transform center instead by pressing and holding Alt before dragging.
Edit UVWs Dialog exit Target Weld mode, right-click in the editor window. Show Map—Toggles the display of the map in the editor window. UV/VW/UW—By default, the UV portion of the UVW coordinates is displayed in the view window. However, you can switch the display to edit the UWs or the VWs. [texture list drop-down]—Contains all the maps of the material assigned to the object.
892 Chapter 8: Modifiers All ID’s (drop-down)—Filters the object’s material IDs. Displays texture faces that match the ID drop-down. Pan—Click Pan, and then drag in the window to change the visible portion. Tip: With a three-button mouse, you can also pan the window by dragging with the middle mouse button held down. Zoom—Click Zoom, and then click+drag to zoom the window.
Edit UVWs Dialog Combine this with Center Pixel Snap to snap to the center of pixels rather than the corner. Note: With multiple vertices selected, all vertices snap to the nearest pixel, relatively; this can slightly alter the spatial relationships among them. Options panel Edge Distance—Turn on to limit the falloff region by the specified number of edges between the selection and the affected vertices. The affected region is measured in terms of "edge-distance" space rather than absolute distance.
894 Chapter 8: Modifiers Unwrap UVW modifier and the Selection Modes group. When you choose a sub-object level in one, it’s also activated in the other. Similarly, selecting sub-objects in a viewport selects them in the editor and vice-versa. Expand Selection—Adds sub-objects to the selection. Vertex and face expansion proceeds outwards in all available directions. Edge expansion proceeds along available UV paths.
Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar Tiles—The number of times the texture image is repeated, counting outward in eight directions (the four corners and the four sides). With Tiles=1, the result is a 3 x 3 grid. With Tiles=2, the result is a 5 x 5 grid, and so on. Brightness—Sets the brightness of the tiled bitmap. At 1.0, the brightness equals that of the original image; at 0.5 it’s half the brightness; and at 0, it’s black.
896 Chapter 8: Modifiers Edit menu Move Mode—Lets you select and move sub-objects. These commands provide access to the different transform functions, and copy and paste selections. Rotate Mode—Lets you select and rotate Copy—Copies the current selection (i.e., texture coordinates) into the paste buffer. sub-objects. Scale Mode—Lets you select and scale sub-objects. Freeform Gizmo—Lets you select and transform vertices. See Freeform Mode.
Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar Select Inverted Faces—Selects any faces facing away from the current mapping. Available only in Face selection mode. Mirror Horizontal/Vertical—Reverses the direction of selected sub-objects along the indicated axis and flips UVs accordingly. This is useful in complex models for finding faces on a surface that folds in under itself, thus causing potential problems with bump mapping.
898 Chapter 8: Modifiers causes the shared edges to highlight), and then choose the command. In the Stitch Tool dialog (page 1–918), adjust the settings, and then click OK to accept or Cancel to abort. Pack UVs—Distributes all texture-coordinate clusters through the texture space using one of two methods and spacing you specify. This is useful if you have several overlapping clusters and wish to separate them. Choosing Pack UVs opens the Pack dialog (page 1–909).
Edit UVWs Dialog Menu Bar Options menu Load Defaults—Loads the editor settings from the file unwrapuvw.ini in the plugcfg directory. Save Current Settings as Default—Saves the editor settings to the file unwrapuvw.ini in the plugcfg directory. Settings saved in this way persist between sessions. Always Bring Up The Edit Window—When on, selecting an object with the Unwrap UVW modifier active automatically opens the Edit UVWs dialog.
900 Chapter 8: Modifiers View menu Pan—Activates the Pan tool, which lets you move horizontally and vertically in the window by dragging the mouse. As with the viewports, if you use a three-button mouse, you can also pan by middle-button dragging. Zoom—Choose Zoom, and then drag downward in the editor window to zoom out and upward to zoom in. Zooming is centered about the point you click before dragging. If you have a wheel mouse, you can also turn the wheel to zoom.
Unwrap UVW Shortcuts Unwrap UVW Function Break Selected Vertices Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl+B Brightness Affects Center Tile Description Unwrap UVW Function Breaks selected vertices so no face shares them; the same as breaking a vertex in Edit Mesh. Edit UVWs Expand Geom. Faces Grows the face selection in the viewport. The brightness control for the tile of image at 0,0 of the Edit UVWs dialog. Face to Edge Select Converts a face selection into an edge selection.
902 Chapter 8: Modifiers Unwrap UVW Function Description Unwrap UVW Function Puts you in an element-select mode for selecting faces in the viewport. Mapping Align X Aligns the mapping gizmo to the X axis of the object’s local coordinate system. Get Face Selection From Stack Alt+Shift+Ctrl+F Copies the face selection from the modifier stack into the face selection that Unwrap UVW uses. Mapping Align Y Aligns the mapping gizmo to the Y axis of the object’s local coordinate system.
Unwrap UVW Shortcuts Unwrap UVW Function Description Unwrap UVW Function Normal Map Dialog Opens a dialog for making Normal Mapping settings. Pelt Always Show Seams Toggles display of the pelt seams in the viewports. Open Edge Mode When turned on, selecting an open edge selects all attached open edges. Pelt Dialog Open Edge Select Selects all open edges connected to the current selection. Opens the Pelt Map Parameters dialog Pack Lays out all selected elements so they don’t overlap.
904 Chapter 8: Modifiers Unwrap UVW Function Description Unwrap UVW Function Pelt Dialog Run Simulation Runs the simulation, pulling the pelt seam vertices towards the stretcher points. Pelt Expand Selection To Seams Expands the current face selection to meet the pelt seam border(s). Pelt Dialog Select Pelt UVs Selects all pelt UVs. Pelt Map Activates pelt-mapping mode. Pelt Dialog Select Stretcher Selects all stretcher UVs.
Unwrap UVW Shortcuts Unwrap UVW Function Polygon Mode Keyboard Shortcut Description Unwrap UVW Function Applies only to triangle meshes. When turned on (the default), if you select a triangular face, the software will select all faces that belong to the poly that owns that face. Save UVW Lets you save the UVW data to disk as a .uvw file, which can be read in later or onto another mesh if they have similar topology. Scale Horizontal Scales the selection along the U axis.
906 Chapter 8: Modifiers Unwrap UVW Function Keyboard Shortcut Sketch Description Unwrap UVW Function Activates Sketch Vertices. Stitch Dialog Opens the properties for the Stitch command. Sync Selection Mode Same as Sync to Viewport Sync Texture Selection to Viewport Synchronizes the selection in the Edit UVWs dialog to the selection in the viewport. Sync Viewport Selection to Texture Synchronizes the selection in the viewport to the selection in the Edit UVWs dialog.
Flatten Mapping Dialog Unwrap UVW Function Keyboard Shortcut Description Unfreeze All Unfreezes all frozen elements. Unhide All Unhides all hidden elements. Unwrap Options Update Map Ctrl+O (letter "o") Ctrl+U Flatten Mapping Dialog Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Unwrap UVW > Edit button (on Parameters rollout) > Mapping menu > Flatten Mapping Updates map in editor.
908 Chapter 8: Modifiers introduced as a result of texture faces’ proportions deviating from their geometry-equivalent faces. Spacing —Controls the amount of space between clusters. The higher this setting, the larger the gap that appears between clusters. Normalize Clusters— Controls whether the final layout will be scaled down to 1.0 unit to fit within the standard editor mapping area.
Pack UVs Dialog Rotate Clusters—Controls whether clusters are rotated to minimize the size of their bounding box. For instance, the bounding box of a rectangle rotated 45 degrees occupies more area than one rotated 90 degrees. Align By Width—Controls whether the width or the height of the clusters is used to control the layout of the clusters. OK—Accepts the settings, closes the dialog, and performs the mapping as specified. Cancel—Undoes any changes and closes the dialog.
910 Chapter 8: Modifiers let you straighten out stretcher vertices, snap them to the pelt seams, and so on. functions on this dialog let you adjust various stretching parameters. The stretcher points surround the pelt UVs in the Edit UVWs dialog window. The lines connecting the stretcher vertices to the pelt-seam vertices function as springs that pull the pelt seams outward in an animated simulation.
Pelt Map Parameters Dialog the straight line. Continue moving vertices to create a polygonal outline; to quit, click Straighten Stretcher again. Note: While Straighten Stretcher is active, you can pan and zoom the editor window at any time using contextual controls (middle-button drag or turn mouse wheel, respectively) to access a different part of the window. After doing so, the software still remembers the last vertex you dragged and draws a straight line between it and the next one you drag.
912 Chapter 8: Modifiers results, alternate between running the simulation (click Simulate Pelt Pulling) and relaxing the mesh. Iterations—The number of times the simulation will run through when you click Simulate Pelt Pullings. Default=20. Range=1 to 100. Often, you’ll need to run repeated simulations to get the desired result. Samples—The number of samples around each pelt-seam point used in the simulation. A higher value results in a greater pulling effect. Default=5. Range=1 to 50.
Relax Tool Dialog 2. From the Edit UVWs dialog > Select menu, choose Select Overlapping Faces. Only the overlapping faces are selected. 3. Click Expand Selection to select faces surrounding the overlapping faces. This gives the overlapping faces a larger area in which to spread out. 4. From the Tools menu, choose Relax Dialog. 5. On the Relax Tool dialog, set Stretch to an This opens the Relax Tool dialog. 3. Choose the relax method.
914 Chapter 8: Modifiers and not so much to remove overlap, and is best suited for simpler shapes. • Relax By Edge Angles—This default method is similar to Relax By Face Angles except that it uses the edges that are attached to the vertices as the shape to match. It typically works better than Relax By Face Angles but tends to take longer to reach a solution. This method is bested suited for more complex shapes. • Relax By Centers—The original Relax method from previous versions of 3ds Max.
Render UVs Dialog Interface Warning: Using this function can result in Height value that is not a power of 2. If your mesh is destined for a real-time renderer, adjust the resulting Height value to the nearest power of 2 after using Guess Aspect Ratio. For example, if it sets Height to 650, change it to 512 before rendering the template. Force 2-Sided—When on, all UV edges are rendered into the template.
916 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Solid: Renders faces using the fill color specified by the swatch at the top of the Fill group. Render UV Template—Renders the template bitmap • Normal: Renders each vertex’s normals into the bitmap. The result looks similar to a normal map. To save the rendered frame, click the Save Bitmap button. in a new rendered frame window (page 3–5).
Sketch Tool Dialog 5. Click OK to close the dialog. Interface The mouse cursor takes the form of a circle, which means you’re in “drag select” mode. 6. In the editor window, drag the cursor over the vertices to select, and then release the mouse button. As you drag, each vertex is assigned a consecutive number. When you release the mouse button, the cursor turns into a pencil, which means you’re in “sketch” mode.
918 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Circle—Drag outward to sketch a circle, and then move the mouse in a circle to rotate the circle. Show Vertex Order—Displays numbered labels that indicate the order in which vertices were selected and will spread out during sketching. Interactive Mode—Shows vertex positioning as you sketch. Turn off for faster feedback. Drag Cursor Size—Sets the size of the mouse cursor used while dragging a selection. Default=8. Range=1 to 15. OK—Accepts the changes and closes the dialog.
Unfold Mapping Dialog See also Flatten Mapping Dialog (page 1–907) Normal Mapping Dialog (page 1–908) Interface Edges chosen to stitch (left); Clusters aligned (center); Clusters aligned and scaled, with Bias=0 (right) Bias—When Scale Clusters is off, Bias sets the extent to which attached sub-objects are moved from their original positions. At Bias=0, the sub-objects remain in their original positions in the source cluster.
920 Chapter 8: Modifiers Unwrap Options Dialog Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > Unwrap UVW > Edit button (on Parameters rollout) > Edit UVWs dialog > Options menu > Advanced Options Set preferences for the Unwrap UVW editor using controls in the Unwrap Options dialog. Interface swatches to choose colors that work better for your specific map. To change a color, click its swatch, and then use the Color Selector (page 1–161) to choose a new one.
Unwrap Options Dialog Render Height—Specifies the height resolution. Use Custom Bitmap Size—When turned on, scales the bitmap texture to the values specified by Width and Height. You can adjust these settings to scale and reproportion the bitmap texture in relation to the texture coordinates. This scaling doesn’t affect the bitmap in the material, but only as viewed in the editor. Tip: When working with large textures, reduce the bitmap size for faster feedback.
922 Chapter 8: Modifiers Snap Str(ength)—Sets the grid snap strength. Default=0.2. Range=0 to 0.5. Setting the strength to 0 effectively turns off snapping. At values less than 0.3, grid snapping tends to go to grid edges. At the highest value, 0.5, grid snapping goes only to grid intersections. UVW Map Modifier Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > UVW Map Select an object.
UVW Map Modifier the bitmap is rotated and projected so that it is perpendicular to the surface. Primitive objects, like spheres and boxes, can generate their own mapping coordinates, as can loft objects and NURBS surfaces. Scanned, imported, or hand-constructed polygonal or patch models do not have mapping coordinates until a UVW Map modifier is applied.
924 Chapter 8: Modifiers map the green edge is the seam where the left and right edge meet. Gizmo must be selected in the modifier display hierarchy to display the gizmo. Gizmos for different projection types Left to right: planar, cylindrical, box, and spherical Effects of Transforming the UVW Map Gizmo Moving the gizmo changes the center of projection and affects all types of mapping. Rotating the gizmo changes the orientation of the map, which affects all types of mapping.
UVW Map Modifier one axis, and a UVW Map modifier has a tiling value of 3 on the same axis, then the result is a tiling value of 6. Objects with No Mapping Coordinates If you render an object that doesn’t have mapping coordinates or a UVW Map modifier, and the object uses a material with 2D bitmaps or 3D procedural maps that use explicit map channels, then a Missing Map Coordinates (page 2–1623) alert is displayed.
926 Chapter 8: Modifiers By default, the UVW Map modifier uses planar mapping on map channel 1. You can change the type of mapping and the map channel to suit your needs. There are seven types of mapping coordinates, ninety-nine map channels, tiling controls, and controls to size and orient the mapping gizmo in the UVW Map modifier. control in the Material Editor. You can adjust the mapping of channel 2 without altering the mapping of channel 1 if you’ve assigned two UVW Map modifiers.
UVW Map Modifier To use manipulators to control the width and length: 9. On the Modify panel, click to turn on Vertex on the Selection rollout. 1. 10. In the Front viewport, select the top vertices of the box, and move them up. You can also be at the Gizmo level of the modifier. 11. Render the Front viewport again. The cellular pattern stretches with the box. This effect is enabled by the XYZ to UVW option.
928 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Modifier Stack Gizmo sub-object level—Enables gizmo transformations. At this sub-object level you can move, scale, and rotate the gizmo in the viewports to position the mapping. In the Material Editor, you turn on the Show Map in Viewport option to make the map visible in a shaded viewport, the map moves on the surface of the object as you transform the gizmo.
UVW Map Modifier Mapping group Determines the type of mapping coordinates used. Different kinds of mapping are distinguished by how the map is geometrically projected onto the object and how the projection interacts with the object’s surfaces. Planar—Projects the map from a single plane flat against the object, somewhat like projecting a slide. Planar projection is useful when only one side of an object needs to be mapped.
930 Chapter 8: Modifiers Shrink-wrap mapping is useful when you want to hide the mapping singularity. Face projection Shrink-wrap projection Box—Projects the map from the six sides of a box. Each side projects as a planar map, and the effect on the surface depends on the surface normal. Each face is mapped from the closest box surface whose normal most closely parallels its own normal. XYZ to UVW—Maps 3D procedural coordinates to UVW coordinates. This "sticks" the procedural texture to the surface.
UVW Map Modifier Length, Width, Height—Specify the dimensions of the UVW Map gizmo. The default scale of the mapping icon is defined by the largest dimension of the object when you apply the modifier. You can animate the projection at the gizmo level. Note the following facts about these spinners: • The dimensions are based on a bounding box of the gizmo. The Height dimension is unavailable for the Planar gizmo: It does not have depth.
932 Chapter 8: Modifiers • UVW XForm and Unwrap UVWs—These two modifiers also contain Channel option buttons. Fit—Fits the gizmo to the extents of the object and centers it so that it’s locked to the object’s extents. Unavailable when Real-World Map Size is on. • Material Editor Channel Assignment—You assign the channel to be used by a map in the Coordinates rollout at the map level in the Material Editor. Center—Moves the gizmo so that its center coincides with the center of the object.
UVW Mapping Add Modifier Acquire—Effectively copies the UVW coordinates from other objects When you pick an object from which you want to acquire UVWs, a dialog prompts you whether the acquire should be done in an absolute or relative fashion. If you choose Absolute, the acquired mapping gizmo is positioned exactly on top of the mapping gizmo you pick. If you choose Relative, the acquired mapping gizmo is positioned over the selected object. Display group UVW Mapping Add Modifier Select an object.
934 Chapter 8: Modifiers UVW Mapping Paste Modifier Interface Select an object. > Channel Info (page 2–1738) > Copy and then paste a channel. The UVW Mapping Paste modifier is added to an object’s modifier stack when you paste a channel in the Channel Info utility (page 2–1738). It isn’t available from the modifier list, and has no user interface. To merge the results of the paste operation (for example, a vertex selection) into the object’s geometry, collapse the modifier stack after pasting.
Vertex Weld Modifier Channel group Procedure Specifies whether to apply the transform to a mapping channel or a vertex color channel, and which channel to use. For more information on these channels, see UVW Map Modifier (page 1–922). Example: To apply the Vertex Weld modifier to a mesh: Map Channel—Specifies a UVW channel to use for the mapping, and use the spinner to its right to set the channel number. Vertex Color Channel—Uses the vertex color channel for the mapping.
936 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: A higher threshold setting will result in welding more vertices, thus removing smaller faces and details. If the threshold is set too high, the mesh will begin to deform. for one face, for example, you’ll see a gradient on that face. VertexPaint modifier also lets you paint values for the vertex alpha and illumination channels. These channels affect the transparency and shading of vertex colors, respectively.
VertexPaint Modifier • Channel (2): UVW “second pass” texture mapping coordinates • Channel (1): UVW standard texture mapping coordinates • Channel (0): RGB vertex color • Channel (-1): FLOAT vertex alpha (really only 1 value needed) • Channel (-2): RGB vertex illumination Every geometric vertex of a mesh or poly object can be assigned up to 102 channel values (99 + 3).
938 Chapter 8: Modifiers Note: This rollout provides the same tools as Tip: The cursor displays the size of the brush. Use the Size spinner to change to a larger or smaller brush. found in the Assign Vertex Colors utility. 4. In the Light Model group, turn on Lighting. 5. In the Shadows group, turn on Calculate Shadows, if you want shadows added. To see vertex colors in a viewport: 1.
VertexPaint Modifier 5. Click Play to see the animated opacity in the viewport. Interface Parameter rollout To animate vertex color using UVW XForm modifier: You can use the UVW XForm modifier in conjunction with a specific vertex paint layer to modulate vertex color effects in the viewport. 1. Apply a UVW XForm modifier directly above the VertexPaint layer (modifier) you want to modulate. 2. Set the Channel type on the UVW XForm modifier to Vertex color. 3.
940 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Map Channel—Choose this to paint on a specifically named or numbered map channel. Map channel spinner—Specifies the channel number. Available only when Map Channel is chosen. Note: If you have painted on a layer and then change the channel setting, the painted information will be moved to the new channel.
VertexPaint Paintbox Assign Vertex Color rollout VertexPaint Paintbox Select an object. > Modify panel > Modifier List > VertexPaint > Paintbox dialog (Click Edit in the Parameters rollout if it isn’t displayed.) Select an object. > Modifiers menu > Mesh Editing > Vertex Paint > Paintbox dialog (Click Edit in the Parameters rollout if it isn’t displayed.) Select an object.
942 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Vertex Color Display controls Control the display of the vertex paint in the viewport by using the four icons at the top of the floating panel. You can easily switch between shaded and unshaded vertex color modes, or turn off the display of vertex color and or texture maps. Note: The first three of these buttons stay highlighted when you click them, to indicate which shading mode is active.
VertexPaint Paintbox Toggle texture display —Displays or hides texture maps on the currently selected object. Viewport Channel Display selector This menu allows you to select which one of the map channels to paint on: • • Vertex colors—Choosing this lets you display the vertex color channel in the viewport. • You might choose map channels above the standard channel 1, 2, 3 that do typically get used for texture mapping.
944 Chapter 8: Modifiers Vertex Paintbrush group layer. But if the selected objects do not currently have a vertex paint layer highlighted in the modify panel, then a dialog appears letting you create a new modifier. This will be instanced across all the selected objects. You will not see the results of your brush strokes, unless the proper display mode is set (above) Be sure your display mode and your paint target match.
VertexPaint Paintbox Because this button enters a mode, it must be clicked to leave the mode, or you can choose another mode to turn it off. Color swatch—The color swatch indicates the current color that will be used when painting begins. Clicking the swatch launches the standard color selector. Here you can change the color that will be used on the next brush stroke. It provides standard Hue, Saturation, and Brightness selection, along with Red, Green, and Blue selection and numerical entry.
946 Chapter 8: Modifiers Select face —Allows you to select faces in the currently selected objects. Once selected, only these faces will be available for painting. Select element —Allows you to select elements in the currently selected objects. Once selected, only these elements will be available for painting. Ignore Backfacing—When this is on, prevents you from mistakenly selecting sub-objects facing away from the user.
VertexPaint Paintbox layers above, below, or in the current paint layer. The following modes are supported per paint layer: • Normal—The layer color completely overwrites the base color. • Overlay—The color cast is shifted towards the layer color and contrast might be increased. It’s useful when you want to make an object appear a different color but in the same lighting conditions.
948 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Hue—The output color has the saturation and value of the base color, with the hue of the layer color. • Saturation—The output has the hue and value of the base color, and the saturation of the layer color. • Color —The output has the value of the base color, and the hue and saturation of the layer color. • Luminosity —The output has the hue and saturation of the base color, and the brightness value of the layer color.
Adjust Color Dialog (VertexPaint Modifier) New Layer—Click to create a new VertexPaint layer. Clicking new layer displays a New Layer dialog. vertex sub-object selection, it affects all vertices equally. Interface Delete Layer—Click to delete the current VertexPaint layer. This removes the modifier from the stack. Condense to single layer—Click to condense all vertex coloring into a single layer in the current VertexPaint modifier.
950 Chapter 8: Modifiers The shadow, gamma, and highlight input levels can help you adjust 3ds Max viewport color to better match your target hardware display (such as a game engine). Shadow level—Adjusts the level of shadow display. Gamma level—Adjusts the gamma display. This value is a gamma correction (page 3–948) value. the active palette is saved in the file 3dsmax.ini (page 1–18) so deleting the INI file causes the palette to revert to the default grayscale palette.
Color Palette (VertexPaint Modifier) The color in the Palette and the active color in the Paintbox are both updated. Interface To change a color’s name: 1. In the List panel, click the name twice (more slowly than a double-click). The name changes to an editable field. 2. Enter a new name or edit the existing one, and then press Enter . Press Esc to cancel the name change. To save a palette to a file: 1. Right-click the List panel or the Swatch panel. The Palette’s pop-up menu (page 1–952) appears. 2.
952 Chapter 8: Modifiers List panel—Displays the colors in the palette, along with their names. Swatch panel—Displays the colors in the active palette. The swatch panel doesn’t list the names of colors, but each color’s name appear as a tooltip when the mouse is over the swatch. By default, Color Clipboard files are saved in the \images directory below the 3ds Max root directory. Load—Displays a file open dialog that lets you choose a CCB palette file to load.
Volume Select Modifier Volume Select lets you use one of three gizmos or another object to define a volume of space as the selection area, to which you can then apply modifiers. You can move the selection over an object and animate it. When applied, Volume Select begins with the current geometry in the object’s stack, whether it’s a whole object or a sub-object selection (for example, from an Edit Mesh (page 1–634) or another Volume Select modifier).
954 Chapter 8: Modifiers • Apply modifiers to the selection. • Transform the Volume Select gizmo at the sub-object level, changing the selection in the process. • Combine these options. See the following example. Example: To animate a volume selection: 1. Apply Volume Select to an object. 2. Make a sub-object selection of the object’s geometry at Face or Vertex level, and apply a geometric modifier, such as Bend (page 1–560), to the selection. 3. Move to a nonzero frame and begin animation.
Volume Select Modifier Parameters rollout Stack Selection Level group Object/Vertex/Face—Volume Select provides three selection levels. Vertex and Face levels put the modifier stack in sub-object selection. You can make one sub-object selection for each Volume Select modifier. You can then toggle the one selection between Face and Vertex level to send either up the stack. Object (top) level lets you modify the whole object while retaining any sub-object selection.
956 Chapter 8: Modifiers rotate, or move the gizmo anywhere around the object. Volume: Mesh Object—Choose this option to use another object to define the selection space. After choosing Mesh Object, click the button below it (labeled "None" by default), and then select an object to use as the volume. Material ID—Specifies a material ID. All faces or vertices using the ID indicated by the spinner value are selected. Sm Group—Specifies a smoothing group.
Wave Modifier Auto Fit—When on, automatically adjusts the gizmo size and shape to fit the object as you change the underlying topology (for example, transforming vertices). Soft Selection rollout These controls, available only at the Vertex stack selection level, let you set a gradual falloff of influence between selected and unselected vertices. See Soft Selection Rollout (Edit/Editable Mesh) (page 1–963). Note: Soft Selection does not apply to materials or smoothing groups.
958 Chapter 8: Modifiers them in the other. This effect is especially clear when animated. For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack (page 3–760). Parameters rollout Phase effect on a wave To add a decay effect: Amplitude 1/Amplitude 2—Amplitude 1 produces • Set a decay value to increase or decrease the amplitude. a sine wave along the gizmo’s Y axis, while Amplitude 2 creates a wave along the X axis (although peaks and troughs appear in the same direction with both).
XForm Modifier XForm Modifier Modify panel > Make a selection. > Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers > XForm Make a selection. > Modifiers menu > Parametric Deformers > XForm Use the XForm (short for Transform) modifier to apply transformations (Move, Rotate, Scale) to objects. The XForm has two main functions: • To animate transformations of a sub-object selection. You can also animate the position of the modifier’s center. • To transform an object at any point in the stack.
960 Chapter 8: Modifiers Interface Interface This modifier has no parameters, but you can transform the XForm gizmo and the XForm center. If you switch the selection level to the XForm center, only the Move transform is available. This lets you offset the center and transform the gizmo around it. Both offset and gizmo transformations are animatable.
Painter Options Dialog Draw Normal—A normal arrow appears as part of the paint gizmo. Draw Trace—Draws a trace (temporary mark) that shows the path of the brush stroke on the surface. Normal Scale—Sets the scale of the normal arrow in the paint gizmo. Marker—Displays a circular marker at the end of the normal arrow. The value next to Marker sets the height of the marker. Pressure Options group Enable Pressure Sensitivity—Turns on pressure sensitivity for the paint gizmo brush.
962 Chapter 8: Modifiers
Surface Modeling Surface modeling is more free form than geometric (parametric) modeling. Although you can create Patch and NURBS primitives from the Create panel, more often a surface model begins when you use the quad menu (page 3–694) or the modifier stack (page 3–760) to “collapse” a parametric model to some form of editable surface. Once you have done so, a variety of tools let you shape the surface. A lot of surface modeling work is done by editing sub-objects (page 3–1017) of the surface object.
964 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling behave as if surrounded by a "magnetic field." Partially selected sub-objects within the field are drawn along smoothly as you transform the sub-object selection; the effect diminishes with distance or the “strength” of the partial selection. This falloff is visible in the viewports as a color gradient surrounding the selection, conforming to the first part of the standard color spectrum: ROYGB (red, orange, yellow, green, blue).
Soft Selection Rollout take effect, this check box must be on before transforming or modifying the selection. Edge Distance—When on, limits the soft-selection region to the specified number of edges between where you select and the maximum extent of the soft selection. The affected region is measured in terms of "edge-distance" space, along the surface, rather than real space. This option is useful in cases where you want to select only contiguous sections of geometry.
966 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Using Paint Soft Selection (see following) turns on Lock Soft Selection automatically. If you turn it off after using Paint Soft Selection, the painted soft selection is lost. You can restore it with Undo. Paint Soft Selection group Selection Value—The maximum relative selection of the painted or reverted soft selection. The values of surrounding vertices within the brush radius fall off towards a value of 0. Default=1.0.
Collapse Utility 2. Select the object or objects that you want to collapse. 3. Click the Collapse Selected button. All modifiers are removed from the modifier stack and the object becomes an editable mesh. To collapse the stack of an object into an editable surface other than mesh: 1. On the Utilities panel, click the Collapse button. 2. On the Collapse rollout, set Output Type to 4. On the Collapse rollout, set Output Type to Mesh, if necessary. 5. In the Collapse To group, choose Single Object. 6.
968 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Output Type group Specifies the type of object that results from the collapse. Modifier Stack Result—The resultant object will be the same as if you had collapsed its stack. In most cases, this results in a mesh object, as when using the Mesh option. However, if the object has an Edit Patch modifier so that its stack produces a patch, then the result will be a patch object rather than a mesh. Likewise, a shape with Edit Spline modifiers becomes an editable spline.
Editable Patch Surface The surface is the renderable geometry of the object. Prior to version 3 of the software, some patch objects contained a lattice that appeared separate from the surface. This is no longer the case: The control framework conforms exactly to the surface, making it easier to visualize the results of patch modeling. 4. Select an object to attach. The object takes on a patch structure and stays in its original location. The attached object is now part of the editable patch object.
970 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling To delete patches: To add a patch: 1. Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level. 1. At the Edge sub-object level, select an open 2. Click Delete. The patches disappear. To subdivide a patch: 1. Make a selection at the Patch sub-object level. 2. Turn on Propagate to maintain surface continuity. 3. Click Subdivide. The patch selection is subdivided, increasing the number of patches. You can repeat this process, subdividing multiple times.
Selection Rollout (Editable Patch) When the weld occurs, the anchor patch remains fixed while the other patch moves to make the weld. To create a new element, do one of the following: • Shift +drag one or more patches. • Shift +extrude one or more patches. • Shift +extrude one or more edges. • Shift +drag an element. Interface Selection rollout For information about these settings, see Selection Rollout (Editable Patch) (page 1–971).
972 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface objects you may see interior vertices represented as yellow squares. Edge—Selects a bounding edge of the patch object. At this level, edges can be subdivided, and new patches added to open edges. A Transform gizmo or axis tripod appears in the middle of a single selected edge. For multiple selected edges, the icon is at the selection center. Patch—Selects an entire patch. At this level, a patch can be detached, deleted, or its surface subdivided.
Selection Rollout (Editable Patch) You can use Copy and Paste to copy sub-object selections between different objects. Filter group These two check boxes, available only at the Vertex sub-object level, let you select and transform vertices, vectors (handles on the vertices), or both. When a check box is turned off, you can’t select the corresponding element type. Thus, for example, if you turn off Vertices, you can manipulate vectors without accidentally moving a vertex.
974 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Editable Patch (Object) Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Editable patch (not a sub-object level) selected in the modifier stack Select an editable patch > Right-click the patch > Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu > Sub-objects > Top-level The functions available at the editable patch object level (that is, when no sub-object level is chosen) are also available at all sub-object levels, and work exactly the same at each level.
Editable Patch (Vertex) See Geometry Rollout (Patch) (page 1–986) for detailed descriptions of these controls. Surface Properties rollout A patch box with Relax off (left), and Relax Value=1.
976 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 2. Choose from commands on the quad menu. The Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant includes two options specific to patch vertices: • Coplanar: If you set a patch control point’s property to be coplanar, it’s like locking the handle of the outgoing vector for that point. Moving a handle attached to a coplanar vertex causes the opposite vectors to adjust their positions to maintain a coplanar surface. This option is the default and gives smooth transitions between patches.
Editable Patch (Vertex) Note: Certain objects are automatically set to Manual Interior when converted to patch objects. In such cases, you can see all interior vertices when you go to the Vertex sub-object level. Interface Selection rollout For information on the controls in this rollout, see Selection Rollout (Editable Patch) (page 1–971). Soft Selection rollout See Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963) for information on the Soft Selection rollout settings.
978 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Geometry rollout Surface Properties rollout Edit Vertex Colors group Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha (transparency) values of selected vertices. Color—Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices. Illumination—Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of selected vertices. This lets you change the color of shadows without changing the vertex colors.
Editable Patch (Handle) Select—Depending on which radio button is Interface selected, selects all vertices whose vertex color or illumination values either match the color swatch, or are within the range specified by the RGB spinners. Range—Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in the vertex color or illumination must either match the color specified by the Color swatch in Select By Vertex Color, or be within plus or minus the values in the Range spinners. Default=10.
980 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Editable Patch (Edge) Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Expand the editable patch in the stack display > Edge sub-object level Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Edge button Select an editable patch > Right-click the patch > Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu > Sub-objects > Edge An edge is the portion of a patch object between two adjacent vertices.
Editable Patch (Patch) Geometry rollout Editable Patch (Patch) Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Expand the editable patch in the stack display > Patch sub-object level Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Patch button Select an editable patch > Right-click the patch > Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant of the quad menu > Sub-objects > Patch A patch is an area of a patch object, defined by three or four surrounding edges and vertices.
982 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Geometry rollout A complex patch (on right) no longer deforms a bitmap The two leftmost patches show Linear patch mapping. The top left patch is a patch with planar mapping and the bottom left shows its UVW space representation. The patch on the right is a curved projection where the vectors are used in UVW space projection. Notice the bottom right represents the UVW space and notice how the handles and knots contribute to the shape of the UVW space.
Editable Patch (Patch) Surface Properties rollout Flip Normal Mode—Flips the normal of any patch you click. To exit, click this button again or right-click anywhere in the program interface. Tip: The best way to use Flip Normal Mode is to set up your viewport to display with Smooth+Highlight and Edged Faces on. If you use Flip Normal Mode with default settings, you’ll be able to flip a patch away from you, but you won’t be able to flip it back.
984 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling default, and must be specified separately from any material names. Clear Selection—When on, choosing a new ID or material name deselects any previously selected patches or elements. When off, selections are cumulative, so new ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of patches or elements. Default=on.
Editable Patch (Element) Soft Selection rollout See Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963) for information on the Soft Selection rollout settings.
986 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling See Geometry Rollout (Patch) (page 1–986) for detailed descriptions of these controls. Geometry Rollout (Patch) Select an editable patch > Modify panel > Geometry rollout The Geometry rollout for Patches contains most of the controls that let you alter the geometry of the patch, at either the Object (top) level, or one of the sub-object levels.
Geometry Rollout (Patch) Subdivision group (Vertex, Edge, Patch, and Element levels only) Subdivide (Edge, Patch, and Element levels only)—Subdivides the selected sub-objects. Bind (Vertex level only)—Lets you create a seamless, • Propagate—When on, extends the subdivision to neighboring patches. Propagating the subdivisions along all contiguous patches prevents patch cracks where you have attached patches together. gapless connection between two patch edges that have unequal numbers of vertices.
988 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling At the Patch and Element levels, you can add three- and four-sided patches. The cursor changes to white cross hairs when over an existing patch vertex. Select an existing vertex by clicking it. Click in free space to create a new vertex at that location; this vertex is included in the sequence of vertices for the new patch. • To create a Tri Patch: Click three times in free space or on existing vertices.
Geometry Rollout (Patch) When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in the following way: Delete (Vertex, Edge, Patch, and Element levels only)—Deletes the selected sub-objects. • If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits the material of the object it is being attached to. Warning: Delete vertices or edges with caution. Deleting a vertex or edge also deletes the patches that share them.
990 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Target (Vertex level only)—Turn on and drag from one vertex to another to weld the vertices together. The dragged vertex fuses to the target vertex. The pixels spinner to the right of the Target button sets the maximum distance in screen pixels between the mouse cursor and the target vertex. Extrude & Bevel group (Edge, Patch, and Element levels only) These controls let you extrude and bevel edges, patches, or elements.
Geometry Rollout (Patch) the intersection between the surface created by a beveling operation and the neighboring patches. The shapes are determined by the handle configurations of vertices at the intersections. Start refers to the intersection between the sides and the patches surrounding the beveled patch. Finish refers to the intersection between the sides and the beveled patch or patches.
992 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling patch surfaces, which can generate more accurate shading. In the illustration below, a sphere was converted to Editable Patch format, and then a vertex was moved toward the center and rotated. The sphere on the left has Use True Patch Normals turned off, and the one on the right has it turned on. In both cases, View Steps was set to 8. A patch sphere with Use True Patch Normals off (left) and on (right).
Patch Grids Quad patch and tri patch A patch tube before smoothing (left) and after using Patch Smooth (right) Patch Grids Create panel > Geometry > Patch Grids Create menu > Patch Grids You can create two kinds of patch surfaces in grid form: Quad Patch and Tri Patch. Patch grids begin as flat plane objects but can be modified into arbitrary 3D surfaces by either using an Edit Patch modifier or collapsing the grid’s modifier stack down to an Editable Patch in the Modify panel.
994 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Procedures To create a patch grid: 1. On the Create panel > Geometry > Patch Grids > Object Type rollout, click either Quad Patch or Tri Patch. AutoGrid—Uses surface normals as a plane to create patches. Click a patch type and then click and drag the cursor over a face in the viewports. 2.
Tri Patch Interface Length, Width Segments—Determines the number of facets along the length and width of the grid. Default=1. The density of a Quad Patch rises sharply as you increase the segments. A Quad Patch of two segments on a side contains 288 faces. The maximum is 100 segments. High segment values can slow performance. Generate Mapping Coordinates—Creates map coordinates for applying mapped materials. Default=off.
996 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 2. Drag over any viewport to create the patch. To edit a Tri Patch: Keyboard Entry rollout X/Y/Z—Sets the patch center. 1. Select a Tri Patch. Length—Sets the patch length. 2. On the Modify panel, right-click TriPatch in Width—Sets the patch width. stack view, and choose Editable Patch. The Tri Patch collapses to an Editable Patch. 3. In the Editable Patch Selection rollout, click Vertex. 4.
Editable Mesh Surface • Use the options supplied on the Edit Geometry rollout to modify the selection. Later topics discuss these options for each of the mesh components. • Transform or Shift +clone the selection, as with any object. • Pass the selection to a later modifier in the stack. You can apply one or more standard modifiers to the selection. • Use the options on the Surface Properties rollout to alter the surface characteristics of selected mesh components.
998 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Result while in sub-object level, you can see the original sub-object selection as a yellow mesh, the final object as a white mesh, and the original editable mesh as an orange mesh. Selection rollout See Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) (page 1–999). Edit Geometry rollout The Edit Geometry rollout (page 1–1011) provides various controls for editing an editable mesh object and its sub-objects.
Selection Rollout (Editable Mesh) • Beginning a selection outside the object starts a region selection. Holding down Ctrl during region selection lets you add to the selection. Once you’ve made a sub-object selection, you can use the Spacebar to lock the selection while you’re working with it. Using Sub-Object Selection With either an editable mesh (or Edit Mesh modifier) or a Mesh Select modifier, you can store three separate sub-object selections: one for each selection level (vertex, face, and edge).
1000 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface within the visible wire edges. Region selection selects multiple polygons within the region. Element—Turns on Element sub-object level, which lets you select all contiguous faces in an object. Region selection lets you select multiple elements. By Vertex—When on, and you click a vertex, any sub-objects (at the current level) that use that vertex are selected. Also works with Region Select.
Editable Mesh (Object) Show Normals—When on, the program displays normals (page 3–980) in the viewports. Normals are displayed as blue lines. Interface Edit Geometry rollout Show normals is not available in Edge mode. • Scale—Specifies the size of the normals displayed in the viewport when Show is on. Delete Isolated Vertices—When on, 3ds Max eliminates any isolated vertices when you delete a contiguous selection of sub-objects. When off, deleting a selection leaves all vertices intact.
1002 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Surface Properties rollout Split Mesh—Affects the seams of displaced mesh objects; also affects texture mapping. When on, the mesh is split into individual faces before it is displaced; this helps preserve texture mapping. When off, the mesh is not split and an internal method is used to assign texture mapping. Default=on. Tip: This parameter is required because of an architectural limitation in the way displacement mapping works.
Editable Mesh (Vertex) 2. Select the vertices to weld. Editable Mesh (Vertex) Select an editable mesh object. > Modify panel > Modifier Stack display > Expand Editable Mesh. > Vertex 3. If the vertices are very close together, go to the Edit Geometry rollout > Weld group and click Selected. If that doesn’t work (you get a “No vertices within weld threshold.” message), proceed to the next step. Select an editable mesh object. > Quad menu > Tools 1 quadrant > Vertex 4.
1004 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling When over an eligible target vertex, the cursor changes to a crosshairs. Tip: If you have trouble dragging in the proper direction, open the Axis Constraints toolbar (page 3–687) and click the XY button. 5. Release the mouse button. Interface Selection rollout For information on the Selection rollout settings, see Editable Mesh (page 1–998).
Editable Mesh (Vertex) Edit Geometry rollout Surface Properties rollout These controls let you set the weight and color for vertices. Weight—Displays and lets you change vertex weights for NURMS operations (see MeshSmooth Modifier (page 1–722)). Edit Vertex Colors group Use these controls to assign the color, illumination color (shading), and alpha (transparency) values of selected vertices. Color—Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices.
1006 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Select Vertices By group Color/Illumination—These radio buttons let you choose to select vertices by vertex color value or vertex illumination value. Set the desired options and then click Select. Color Swatch—Displays the current color to match. Click to open the Color Selector, where you can specify a different color.
Editable Mesh (Edge) to control this, select only those edges that will result in a single spline, and perform Create Shape repeatedly to make the correct number of shapes. Finally, use Attach in the Editable Spline to combine the shapes into one. Top: Selected edges removed from original object Bottom: Unwanted edges removed Interface Selection rollout Top: Original object Bottom: Object with edges selected See Editable Mesh (page 1–998) for information on the Selection rollout settings.
1008 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Edit Geometry rollout Surface Properties rollout These controls affect the visibility of the edges. Invisible edges (also called construction lines) appear in the viewports when Edges Only is turned off in the Display command panel, or when you’re editing at the Edge sub-object level. The visibility of edges is primarily of importance when an object is being rendered using a wireframe material. Visible—Makes selected edges visible.
Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/Element) Editable Mesh (Face/Polygon/ For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963). Element) Edit Geometry rollout Select an editable mesh object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Face/Polygon/Element Select an editable mesh object. > Modify panel > Modifier Stack display > Editable Mesh rollout > Face/Polygon/Element Select an editable mesh object.
1010 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Surface Properties rollout used to create the objects. Use this function to correct them. Flip Normal Mode—Flips the normal of any face you click. To exit, click this button again or right-click anywhere in the program interface. Tip: The best way to use Flip Normal mode is to set up your viewport to display with Smooth+Highlight and Edged Faces on.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) default, and must be specified separately from any material names. Clear Selection—When on, choosing a new ID or material name deselects any previously selected sub-objects. When off, selections are cumulative, so new ID or sub-material name selections add to the existing selection set of patches or elements. Default=on. Smoothing Groups group Use these controls to assign selected faces to different smoothing groups (page 3–1013), and to select faces by smoothing group.
1012 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface For example, at the Vertex sub-object level, Create lets you add free-floating vertices to the object. The new vertices are placed on the active construction plane. To create faces at the Face, Polygon, or Element level, click Create. All vertices in the object are highlighted, including isolated vertices left after deleting faces. Click three existing vertices in succession to define the shape of the new face.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in the following way: • If the object being attached does not have a material assigned, it inherits the material of the object it is being attached to. • Likewise, if the object you’re attaching to doesn’t have a material, it inherits the material of the object being attached.
1014 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling If a vertex is isolated or used by only one face, it is unaffected. Turn (Edge level only)—Rotates the edge within its bounding. All mesh objects in 3ds Max are composed of triangular faces, but by default, most polygons are depicted as quadrilaterals, with a hidden edge dividing each quad into two triangles.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) If you drag one or more selected vertices or edges, all selected sub-objects are chamfered identically. If you drag an unselected vertex or edge, any selected sub-objects are first deselected. original. Essentially, it’s a bevel with no height. You can achieve this in Editable Mesh with the following procedure: A chamfer "chops off " the selected sub-objects, creating a new face connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original sub-object.
1016 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Cut and Slice group Lets you subdivide edges with either cut or slice tools to create new vertices, edges, and faces. For details, see Cut and Slice (page 1–1019). Note: At the Vertex sub-object level, Slice is available but Cut is not. Weld group (Vertex level only) Selected—Welds selected vertices that fall within the tolerance specified in the Weld Threshold spinner (to the button’s right). All line segments become connected to the resulting single vertex.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Mesh) Face-Center adds a vertex to the center of each face and draws three connecting lines from that vertex to the three original vertices. As a result, three faces are created out of one face. Set of polygons showing Face-Center tessellation Explode group (Object and Face/Polygon/ Element levels only) Top: Original selection Middle: Tessellated once Bottom: Tessellated twice Tension—(Active only when Tessellate by Edge is active.
1018 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling The angle threshold spinner, to the right of the Explode button, lets you specify the angle between faces below which separation will not occur. For example, all sides of a box are at 90-degree angles to each other. If you set the spinner to 90 or above, exploding the box changes nothing. However, at any setting below 90, the sides all become separate objects or elements.
Cut and Slice results in the fewest additional sub-materials or IDs. another object, the box will have only two material IDs, instead of the six it was assigned on creation. Match Material to Material IDs—Maintains the original ID assignment in the attached objects by adjusting the number of sub-materials in the resulting multi/sub-object material.
1020 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling The cursor changes to a plus sign when over an edge, and a dotted line connects the initial point where the edge was clicked with the current cursor location. 6. Click the second edge. This edge can be anywhere, cutting across as many faces as you like. A new visible edge appears. 7. At this point, a new dotted line is connected to the mouse cursor, originating from the last point you clicked. 8. Continue clicking edges to cut.
Cut and Slice 7. If you want, move the Slice Plane to a second position and click the Slice button again. 8. Click the Slice Plane button again to turn it off and see the results. 9. To better understand what has happened, turn off Edges Only in the Display panel. Slice Plane—Creates a gizmo for a slice plane that can be positioned and rotated where you want to slice the edges. Also enables the Slice button. Slice—Performs the slice operation at the location of the slice plane.
1022 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling the new faces to create holes, or animate the new faces as separate elements. Refine Ends—When on, adjacent faces at the ends of the cut are also divided by additional vertices, so that the surface stays contiguous. When Refine Ends is off, the surface will have a seam where the new vertex meets the adjacent face. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep Refine Ends turned on, unless you are sure that you don’t want the extra vertices created.
Editable Poly Surface Important: When you click Apply, the settings are “baked into” the selection, and then applied again to the selection as a preview. If you then click OK to exit, you will have applied the settings twice. If your intention is to apply them only once, simply click OK the first time, or click Apply, and then Cancel. Note: Changes implemented in Interactive Manipulation mode cannot be animated.
1024 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling vertices, and optionally on the faces. They affect most types of sub-object deformations, such as the Move, Rotate, and Scale functions and any deformation modifiers (such as Bend) applied to the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the selection. For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963).
Selection Rollout (Polymesh) Note: You can convert sub-object selections in three different ways with the use of the Ctrl and Shift keys: • To convert the current selection to a different sub-object level, clicking a sub-object button on the Selection rollout with Ctrl held down. This selects all sub-objects at the new level that touch the previous selection. For example, if you select a vertex, and then Ctrl +click the Polygon button, all polygons that use that vertex are selected.
1026 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Vertex—Turns on Vertex sub-object level, which lets you select a vertex beneath the cursor; region selection selects vertices within the region. Edge—Turns on Edge sub-object level, which lets you select a polygon edge beneath the cursor; region selection selects multiple edges within the region. Border—Turns on Border sub-object level, which lets you select a sequence of edges that borders a hole in the mesh.
Selection Rollout (Polymesh) With Shrink and Grow, you can add or remove neighboring elements from the edges of your current selection. This works at any sub-object level. Ring—Expands an edge selection by selecting all edges parallel to the selected edges. Ring applies only to edge and border selections. Left: Original loop selection Ring selection adds to the selection all the edges that are parallel to the ones selected originally.
1028 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling ring selected, you can use this function to select a neighboring ring. Applies only to Edge and Border sub-object levels. Editable Poly (Object) Select an editable poly object. > Modify panel Select an editable poly object. > Quad menu > Tools 1 quadrant > Top-level Editable Poly (Object) functions are available when no sub-object levels are active. These functions are also available at all sub-object levels, and work the same in each mode, except as noted below.
Editable Poly (Vertex) Interface Paint Deformation rollout Edit Geometry rollout Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout (page 1–1064). Editable Poly (Vertex) Select an editable poly object. > Modify panel > Selection rollout > Vertex Select an editable poly object. > Modify panel > Modifier Stack display > Expand Editable Poly. > Vertex Select an editable poly object.
1030 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 1. To use Weld: 1. On the Selection rollout, turn on Ignore Backfacing, if necessary. This ensures that you’re welding only vertices you can see. 2. Select the vertices to weld. 3. If the vertices are very close together, simply click Weld. If that doesn’t work, proceed to the next step. 4. Click the Settings button to the right of the Weld button. This opens the Weld Vertices dialog (page 1–1077). 5.
Editable Poly (Vertex) Interface Remove—Deletes selected vertices and combines Selection rollout the polygons that use them. The keyboard shortcut is Backspace . See Editable Poly (page 1–1025) for information on the Selection rollout settings. Soft Selection rollout Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects near your selection are given partial selection values.
1032 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling • You can drag other vertices in turn to extrude them while the Extrude button is active. Click Extrude again or right-click in the active viewport to end the operation. numerically, click the Chamfer Settings button and use the Chamfer Amount value. If you chamfer multiple selected vertices, all of them are chamfered identically. If you drag an unselected vertex, any selected vertices are first deselected.
Editable Poly (Vertex) In Target Weld mode, the mouse cursor, when positioned over a vertex, changes to a + cursor. Click and then move the mouse; a dashed, rubber-band line connects the vertex to the mouse cursor. Position the cursor over another, neighboring vertex and when the + cursor appears again, click the mouse. The first vertex is moved to the position of the second, the two are welded, and Target Weld mode is automatically exited. Connect—Creates new edges between pairs of selected vertices.
1034 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Edit Geometry rollout Vertex Properties rollout Edit Vertex Colors group Use these controls to assign the color, and illumination color (shading) of selected vertices. Color—Click the color swatch to change the color of selected vertices. Illumination—Click the color swatch to change the illumination color of selected vertices. This lets you change the illumination without changing the vertex’s color.
Editable Poly (Edge) or are within the range specified by the RGB spinners. the Edit Geometry and Edit Edges rollouts; for other controls, see Editable Poly (page 1–1022). Range—Specifies a range for the color match. All three RGB values in the vertex color or illumination must either match the color specified by the color swatch in Select By Vertex Color, or be within plus or minus the values in the Range spinners. Default=10.
1036 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling To convert the object, right-click once in the Perspective viewport to exit create mode. This leaves the object selected. Right-click again in the Perspective viewport, and then at the bottom of the Transform quadrant, choose Convert To > Convert To Editable Poly. Alternatively, apply the Edit Poly modifier. you click the mouse button. Another connects to a corner of the polygon; this connection changes depending on the mouse position.
Editable Poly (Edge) Compare this with the Edit Triangulation tool, with which you must click two vertices to change a diagonal’s position. This simple demonstration shows how, when manually subdividing a polygon mesh for modeling and animation purposes, you can save a good deal of time by using the Cut and Turn tools in 3ds Max. Connecting the remaining corners are a number of diagonals (page 3–928), which serve to fully triangulate the polygons.
1038 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Above: Original object Above: Selected edges removed from original object Below: Object with edges selected Below: Unwanted edges removed Interface Selection rollout See Editable Poly (page 1–1025) for information on the Select rollout settings. Soft Selection rollout Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects and unselected ones.
Editable Poly (Edge) the object. This provides a magnet-like effect with a sphere of influence around the selection. Remove—Deletes selected edges and combines the polygons that use them. For more information, see Soft Selection Rollout (page 1–963). Edit Edges rollout Removing one edge is like making it invisible. The mesh is affected only when all or all but one of the edges depending on one vertex are removed. At that point, the vertex itself is deleted and the surface is retriangulated.
1040 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Extrude—Lets you extrude edges manually via direct manipulation in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any edge to extrude it. When extruding a vertex or edge interactively in the viewport, you set the extrusion height by moving the mouse vertically and the base width by moving the mouse horizontally. Extruding an edge moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the edge to the object.
Editable Poly (Edge) An edge chamfer "chops off " the selected edges, creating a new polygon connecting new points on all visible edges leading to the original vertex. The new edges are exactly distance from the original edge along each of these edges. New chamfer faces are created with the material ID of one of the neighboring faces (picked at random) and a smoothing group which is an intersection of all neighboring smoothing groups.
1042 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling dialog settings. Connect is particularly useful for creating or refining edge loops. Note: You can connect only edges on the same polygon. Also, Connect will not let the new edges cross. For example, if you select all four edges of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring edges are connected, resulting in a diamond pattern. Connecting two or more edges using the Settings dialog creates equally spaced edges. The number of edges is set in the dialog.
Editable Poly (Edge) At low settings, the edge is relatively smooth. At higher settings, the crease becomes increasingly visible. At 1.0, the highest setting, the edge becomes a hard crease. Edit Tri[angulation]—Lets you modify how polygons are subdivided into triangles by drawing internal edges, or diagonals (page 3–928). But changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate position available to a diagonal.
1044 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Subdivision Displacement rollout This selects the entire closed loop of continuous open edges that make up the border selection. See Interface (page 1–1063) for information on the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings. 2. Click Cap. Paint Deformation rollout Interface Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout (page 1–1064).
Editable Poly (Border) Note: To delete a border, select it and press the Insert Vertex—Lets you subdivide border edges Delete key. This deletes the border and all attached polygons. manually. Extrude—Lets you extrude a border manually via direct manipulation in the viewport. Click this button, and then drag vertically on any border to extrude it. Extruding a border moves it along a normal and creates new polygons that form the sides of the extrusion, connecting the border to the object.
1046 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling with Chamfer Amount set to the amount of the last manual chamfer. Cap—Caps an entire border loop with a single polygon. Connect will not let the new edges cross. Thus, for example, if you select all four edges of a four-sided polygon and then click Connect, only neighboring edges are connected, resulting in a diamond pattern. Select the border, and then click Cap. Bridge—Connects two borders on an object with a polygon “bridge.
Editable Poly (Border) Turn—Lets you modify how polygons are Edit Geometry rollout subdivided into triangles by clicking diagonals. When you activate Turn, the diagonals (page 3–928) become visible as dashed lines in wireframe and edged-faces views. In Turn mode, click a diagonal to change its position. To exit Turn mode, right-click in the viewport or click the Turn button again.
1048 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Paint Deformation rollout Soft Selection rollout Paint Deformation lets you stroke elevated and indented areas directly onto object surfaces. For more information, see Paint Deformation Rollout (page 1–1064). Soft Selection controls apply a smooth falloff between selected sub-objects and unselected ones. When Use Soft Selection is on, unselected sub-objects near your selection are given partial selection values.
Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) elements that are to be deleted. Click Yes to delete them; click No to retain them. Insert Vertex—Lets you subdivide polygons manually. Applies to polygons, even if at the element sub-object level. After turning on Insert Vertex, click a polygon to add a vertex at that location. You can continue subdividing polygons as long as the command is active. To stop inserting vertices, right-click in the viewport, or click Insert Vertex again to turn it off.
1050 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Click the Outline Settings button to open the Outline Selected Faces dialog, which lets you perform outlining by a numeric setting. • When over a selected polygon, the mouse cursor changes to a Bevel cursor. • With multiple polygons selected, dragging on any one bevels all selected polygons equally. • You can drag other polygons in turn to bevel them while the Bevel button is active. Click Bevel again or right-click to end the operation.
Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) Note: Bridge always creates a straight-line connection between polygon pairs. To make the bridge connection follow a contour, apply modeling tools as appropriate after creating the bridge. For example, bridge two polygons, and then use Bend (page 1–560). Inset works on a selection of one or more polygons. As with Outline, only the outer edges are affected.
1052 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Hinge Settings—Opens the Hinge From Edge dialog (page 1–1073), which lets you hinge polygons via interactive manipulation. If you click this button after performing a manual hinge, the dialog opens with Angle set to the extent of the last manual hinge. Extrude Along Spline—Extrudes the current selection along a spline. In Edit Triangulation mode, you can see the current triangulation in the viewport, and change it by clicking two vertices on the same polygon.
Editable Poly (Polygon/Element) Each diagonal has only two available positions at any given time, so clicking a diagonal twice in succession simply returns it to its original position. But changing the position of a nearby diagonal can make a different alternate position available to a diagonal. Polygon Properties rollout For more information on how to use Turn with the enhanced Cut tool, see this procedure (page 1–1035).
1054 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling the drop arrow and choose a sub-material from the list. The sub-objects that are assigned that material are selected. If an object does not have a Multi/Sub-Object material assigned, the name list is unavailable. Likewise, if multiple objects are selected that have an Edit Patch, Edit Spline, or Edit Mesh modifier applied, the name list is inactive.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh) Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh) Create or select an editable poly object. > Modify panel > Edit Geometry rollout The Edit Geometry rollout provides global controls for changing the geometry of the polymesh, at either the top (Object) level or the sub-object levels. The control are the same at all levels, except as noted in the descriptions below.
1056 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Preserve UVs—When on, you can edit sub-objects without affecting the object’s UV mapping. You can choose any of an object’s mapping channels to preserve or not; see Preserve UVs Settings, following. Default=off. Without Preserve UVs, there is always a direct correspondence between an object’s geometry and its UV mapping. For example, if you map an object and then move vertices, the texture moves along with the sub-objects, whether you want it to or not.
Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh) Collapse (Vertex, Edge, Border, and Polygon levels only)—Collapses groups of contiguous selected sub-objects by welding their vertices to a vertex at the selection center. Attach—Lets you attach another object in the scene to the selected editable poly. You can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to editable-poly format.
1058 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Split—When on, the QuickSlice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices at the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new polygons to create holes, or animate the new polygons as separate elements. Slice (sub-object levels only)—Performs the slice operation at the location of the slice plane. Available only when Slice Plane is on. This tool slices the poly just like the “Operate On: Polygons” mode of the Slice modifier (page 1–825).
Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh) functionality similar to that of the MeshSmooth modifier (page 1–722) with NURMS Subdivision, but unlike NURMS Subdivision, it applies the smoothing instantly to the selected area of the control mesh. MSmooth Settings—Opens the MeshSmooth Selection dialog (page 1–1074), which lets you specify how smoothing is applied. Tessellate—Subdivides all polygons in the object based on the Tessellation settings (page 1–1077).
1060 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object. Paste—Pastes the named selection from the copy buffer. Relax—Applies the Relax function to the current selection, using the Relax dialog settings (see following). Relax normalizes mesh spacing by moving each vertex toward the average location of its neighbors. It works the same way as the Relax modifier (page 1–779).
Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh) Interface a less cluttered display. When off, the software displays all faces added by NURMS Subdivision; thus, higher Iterations settings (see Display group (page 1–1062)) result in a greater number of lines. Default=on. Smoothed box with Isoline Display off (left) and Isoline Display on (right).
1062 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling You can press Esc to stop calculation and revert to the previous iteration setting. Smoothness—Determines how sharp a corner must be before polygons are added to smooth it. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation of any polygons. A value of 1.0 adds polygons to all vertices even if they lie on a plane. When the Smoothness check box in the Render group (see below) is off, this setting controls smoothness both in the viewports and at render time.
Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh) Update Options group Sets manual or render-time update options, for situations where the complexity of the smoothed object is too high for automatic updates. Note that you can also choose Iterations under the Render group to set a greater degree of smoothing to be applied only at render time. the subdivided mesh, but would not affect an object that uses subdivision displacement only.
1064 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling mapping works. Turning Split Mesh on is usually the better technique, but it can cause problems for objects with clearly distinct faces, such as boxes, or even spheres. A box’s sides might separate as they displace outward, leaving gaps. And a sphere might split along its longitudinal edge (found in the rear for spheres created in the Top view) unless you turn off Split Mesh.
Paint Deformation Rollout Interface Note: Push/Pull supports soft selection in that effective strength falls off with the selection value of soft-selected sub-objects. Relax—Normalizes the distances between vertices by moving each vertex to a position calculated from the average of its neighbors. Relax uses the same method as the Relax modifier (page 1–779). Use Relax to push apart vertices that are too close together, or to pull together vertices that are too far apart.
1066 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling using the current reference coordinate system (page 1–443). geometry. After using Commit, you can no longer apply Revert to changes up to that point. Push/Pull Value—Determines the direction and Cancel—Eliminates all changes since the initial maximum extent of a single application of the push/pull operation. Positive values “pull” vertices out of the object surface, and negative values “push” vertices into the surface. Default =10.0.
Bridge Borders/Polygons Dialog Local Normal—Beveling takes place along each selected polygon’s normal. By Polygon—Bevels each polygon individually. Height—Specifies the extent of the extrusion in scene units. You can extrude selected polygons outward or inward, depending on whether the value is positive or negative. Outline Amount—Makes the outer border of selected polygons bigger or smaller, depending on whether the value is positive or negative.
1068 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling For example, if you select polygon 12, 35, and 89, Bridge connects polygons 12 and 35. But if you then deselect polygon 35, Bridge then connects polygons 12 and 89. Polygon/Edge 1/2—Click each Pick button in turn, and then click a polygon or border edge in a viewport. At the Border sub-object level, clicking any edge on a border designates the entire border for bridging.
Bridge Edges Dialog Interface Left: Reverse Triangulation on Right: Reverse Triangulation off Bridge Adjacent—Specifies the minimum angle between adjacent edges across which bridging can occur. Edges less than this angle will not be bridged, and instead will be skipped. Bridge lets you use existing edge selections, or pick them from the dialog. Choose one of the following: Bridge Specific Edges—In this mode, use the Pick buttons to designate polygons or borders for bridging.
1070 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Chamfer Vertices/Edges/Borders Dialog Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. > Modify panel > Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object level > Edit Vertices/Edges/Borders rollout > Chamfer Settings button Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. > Vertex/Edge/Border sub-object level > Quad menu > tools 2 quadrant > Chamfer Settings button Chamfering creates new faces around the chamfered entity, along with connecting edges.
Extrude Polygons Along Spline Dialog By default, the new edges are centered. Positive values move them in one direction, while negative values move them in the opposite direction. The new edges cannot move beyond existing edges. Extrude Polygons Along Spline Dialog Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. > Modify panel > Polygon sub-object level > Edit Polygons rollout > Extrude Along Spline Settings button Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object.
1072 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling OK—Applies the settings to the current selection and closes the dialog. Cancel—Closes the dialog without applying the settings to the current selection. Does not reverse previous uses of Apply. Extrude Polygons Dialog With Align To Face Normal, the extrusion does not follow the original orientation of the spline (1); it’s reoriented to match the face normals (2), or averaged normals for contiguous selections.
Extrude Vertices/Edges Dialog polygons outward or inward, depending on whether the value is positive or negative. Extrusion Base Width—Specifies the size of the extrusion base in scene units. Apply—Applies the settings to the current selection, retaining them if you then make another selection. You can set this as high as you want, but the actual size cannot extend beyond the vertices adjacent to the extruded sub-object(s).
1074 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling inward, depending on whether the value is positive or negative. Interface Segments—Specifies the number of polygons into which each extruded side is subdivided. This setting also applies to manually hinged polygons. Current Hinge—Click Pick Hinge, and then click an edge to be the hinge. After you designate a hinge, the “Pick Hinge” button text is replaced with “Edge #” where # is the ID number of the hinge edge.
Preserve Map Channels Dialog Interface Preserve Map Channels Dialog Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object. > Modify panel > any sub-object level > Edit Geometry rollout > Preserve UVs button Smoothness—Determines how sharp a corner must be before polygons are added to smooth it. Smoothness is calculated as the average angle of all edges connected to a vertex. A value of 0.0 prevents the creation of any polygons. A value of 1.0 adds polygons to all vertices even if they lie on a plane.
1076 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Vertex Color Channels—Displays buttons for any vertex-color channels that contain data. These can be Vertex Colors, Vertex Illumination, and Vertex Alpha. By default, all vertex-color buttons are off, so that associated UVs are affected by sub-object editing. To prevent a channel from being affected by sub-object editing, click its button. Texture Channels—Displays buttons for any texture (mapping) channels that contain data. These are identified by number.
Tessellate Selection Dialog Cancel—Closes the dialog without applying the Apply—Applies the settings to the current settings to the current selection. Cancel does not reverse previous uses of Apply. selection, retaining them if you then make another selection. OK—Applies the settings to the current selection Tessellate Selection Dialog and closes the dialog. Cancel—Closes the dialog without applying the Select an Edit Poly or editable poly object.
1078 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling The After quantity updates dynamically as you change the setting with the spinner. Apply—Applies the settings to the current You can also model surfaces using polygonal meshes or patches. Compared to NURBS surfaces, meshes and patches have these shortcomings: selection, retaining them if you then make another selection. • Using polygons can make it more difficult to create complicated curved surfaces.
Creating NURBS Models curve remains a Shape object unless you add a surface sub-object to it when you convert it to a NURBS surface (without changing its name). Surfaces—There are two kinds of NURBS surfaces. A point surface (page 1–1102) is controlled by points, which always lie on the surface. A CV surface (page 1–1103) is controlled by control vertices (CVs). Instead of lying on the surface, CVs form a control lattice (page 3–923) that surrounds the surface.
1080 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling • You can turn a patch grid (page 1–993) object (Bezier patch) into a NURBS object. • You can turn a loft (page 1–352) object into a NURBS object. To turn objects other than NURBS curves and surfaces into NURBS objects, use the Modify panel. Right-click the object’s name in the stack display (see Modifier Stack (page 3–760)) and choose Convert To: NURBS. In viewports, the quad menu (page 3–694) also lets you convert objects to NURBS.
Modifying NURBS Models and Creating Sub-Objects The direction of the curve determines the initial direction of the trim. For example, a closed curve on surface created in a clockwise direction trims inward, creating a hole in the surface; while a closed curve on surface created in a counterclockwise direction trims outward, creating a curve-shaped portion of the surface. When a surface is trimmed, its untrimmed version is still present in the 3ds Max scene.
1082 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling NURBS surface objects includes rollouts that let you create new NURBS sub-objects. blend surface is a dependent surface sub-object that connects the edges of two other surfaces. • You can attach 3ds Max objects. If the attached object is not already a NURBS object, it is converted to NURBS geometry. You can attach a NURBS curve, another NURBS surface, or a convertible 3ds Max object. The attached object becomes one or more curve or surface sub-objects.
Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects sub-object by inserting or refining. For the difference between inserting and refining, see Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects (page 1–1130). See NURBS Concepts (page 1–1091) for more information about refining. Using the NURBS Toolbox to Create Sub-Objects Modify panel > Select NURBS object. > General rollout > NURBS Creation Toolbox button Keyboard > Ctrl+T (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on.
1084 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling selected and you are on the Modify panel. It disappears whenever you deselect the NURBS object or make a different panel active. When you return to the Modify panel and select a NURBS object, it reappears. • You can use the toolbox to create sub-objects from either the top, object level, or from any NURBS sub-object level.
CV Sub-Objects and Point Sub-Objects between various levels of the NURBS model: Top Level, Surface CV Level, Surface Level, Curve CV Level, Point Level, Curve Level, and Imports Level. • The command panel’s right-click popup menu (available whenever the mouse cursor becomes a pan hand) helps you navigate the rollouts on the current command panel. necessarily lie on the curve or surface they define.
1086 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Moving and rotating CVs to change a surface (selected CVs are displayed in red) Each CV also has a weight, which you can use to adjust the CV’s effect on the curve or surface. Increasing the weight pulls the surface toward the CV. Decreasing the weight relaxes the surface away from the CV. Above: Weights=0.0 Below: Weights=40.
Dependent Sub-Objects them are required to lie on the curve or surface. Unlike CVs, points do not have a weight. Point curves and point surfaces can be more intuitive to create and work with. However, working with point sub-objects is slower than working with CV sub-objects. You can think of a point curve or point surface as being dependent on the points to which it fits.
1088 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Transforming Dependent Sub-Objects In general, you can select and transform dependent sub-objects, but the effect of the transform depends on the sub-object type. Some dependent objects have a gizmo, similar to the gizmo used with modifiers. Sub-objects that don’t have gizmos can’t change relative to their parent objects. For these kinds of sub-objects, transforms apply equally to the sub-object and its parents.
Rigid Surfaces called Replace Base Surface. You can click this button and then click a different surface to act as the base of the offset. You can apply Edit Patch (page 1–638) and Edit Mesh (page 1–634) modifiers to NURBS surface objects. This capability lets you replace a trimmed surface with its untrimmed version, or vice versa. To do so, you need to use the Select Objects dialog (page 1–78).
1090 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling be used with their own controls, and lose their usefulness when you collapse them. objects that you can use as paths and motion trajectories. The modifiers with Soft Selection controls treat NURBS models the same way they treat editable meshes. As with editable mesh vertices, CVs are colored proportionally according to how severely the region affects them. NSurf Sel can select any kind of NURBS sub-object except imports.
NURBS and Animation Note: NSurf Sel doesn’t support copy and paste of selections as Mesh Select does. Copying and pasting mesh selections is based on vertex indexes. NURBS selections are based on object IDs, which are unique to each model.
1092 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Shape curves such as the Line tool and other Shape tools are Bezier curves, which are a special case of B-splines. The non-uniform property of NURBS brings up an important point. Because they are generated mathematically, NURBS objects have a parameter space (page 3–988) in addition to the 3D geometric space in which they are displayed.
NURBS Concepts one or two CVs combine their influence in that vicinity of the curve. a one-dimensional parameter space to two dimensions. Reparameterizing CV Curves and Surfaces Effects of multiplicity: there are three CVs at the apex on the left, two CVs at the apex on the right. By moving one CV away from the other, you increase the curve’s continuity level again. Multiplicity also applies when you fuse CVs. Fused CVs create a sharper curvature or a cusp in the curve.
1094 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling You can also think of a point curve or surface as dependent on its points. You can use the Convert Curve button to convert a point curve or surface to the CV form, or vice versa. NURBS Tips and Techniques These topics contain suggestions on how to work with NURBS. They include tips collected from various NURBS modeling users.
How to Make Objects with NURBS Modeling (page 1–189), lofts (page 1–352), and patch grids (page 1–993). • You can also change the NURBS surface by applying modifiers. The modifiers act on the points or CVs of the surface, and not on the surface itself. After applying the modifiers, collapse the modifier stack (page 3–760). This removes the modifiers from the stack without changing the position of the modified points or CVs, making for a simpler and quicker model.
1096 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling draw curves in 3D. Begin drawing a curve in one viewport, go to another viewport, and continue drawing. achieve this, draw the rails first, then draw the cross sections using the NURBS Snaps (page 2–41) Curve End and Curve Edge turned on. If your mouse has a middle mouse button, Alt +middle mouse button lets you use arc rotate (page 3–744) to change a viewport’s orientation while you are creating the curve.
How to Make Objects with NURBS Modeling • If you want a controllable tangent or tension, you must blend to a surface edge or a curve on a surface. Adjusting tension changes the flatness or "bulginess" of that end of the blend. When a curve and a surface (or two surfaces) are near each other, sometimes it can be hard to tell which edge you are selecting. To assist you, the currently selected surface turns yellow, and the edge that will be used for the blend turns blue.
1098 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling into an actual displaced mesh so you can see the effect of displacement in viewports. To make a displaced mesh copy of the NURBS model, use Snapshot (page 1–453). Connecting an Arm to a Shoulder • The easiest approach is to create a CV curve on surface (page 1–1172) or normal projected curve (page 1–1169) on the shoulder. Then create the arm as a U loft (page 1–1196). For the last curve of the U loft, select the CV curve on surface or the normal projected curve.
How to Improve Performance sections for a rail shaped like an ’S’, because the curvature is more constant. • If a U loft or UV loft doubles back on itself unexpectedly, make sure that all the curves are going in the same direction. Click Reverse to change a curve’s direction. Use the Start Point spinner to align the curve’s initial points. How to Improve Performance These are tips on improving the performance of your NURBS models. • Avoid using point curves and point surfaces.
1100 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling • An easy way to animate a growing surface is to put a curve point (page 1–1220) with trimming on a curve, then animate the U position of the curve point, and then use this curve as the rail of a 1-rail sweep (page 1–1204). As the trimmed rail grows, so does the sweep surface. (You must trim the curve before you create the sweep surface.
NURBS Surfaces NURBS Surface Primitives Create panel > Geometry > NURBS Surfaces Create menu > NURBS > CV Surface/Point Surface NURBS (page 3–980) surface objects are the basis of NURBS models. The initial surface you create using the Create panel is a planar segment with points or CVs. It is meant simply to be "raw material" for creating a NURBS model.
1102 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Point Surface Create panel > Geometry > NURBS Surfaces > Point Surf Create menu > NURBS > Point Surface Interface The creation parameters are the same for both point surfaces and CV surfaces, except that the labels indicate which kind of basic NURBS surface you are creating. Keyboard Entry rollout The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a point surface by typing. Use the Tab key to move between the controls on this rollout.
CV Surface Create Parameters rollout The Generate Mapping Coordinates control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface sub-object level. Flip Normals—Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals. The Flip Normals control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface sub-object level. When you modify a point surface, a rollout lets you change its surface approximation settings (page 1–1239). Length—The length of the surface in current 3ds Max units.
1104 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling objects. The Modify panel provides other ways to change the values you set in the Create panel. Procedure To create a CV surface: 1. 2. Go to the Create panel. Turn on Geometry, and choose NURBS Surfaces from the drop-down list. 3. Turn on CV Surf. 4. In a viewport, drag to specify the area of the planar segment. 5. Adjust the surface’s creation parameters.
CV Surface Create Parameters rollout Generate Mapping Coordinates—Generates mapping coordinates so you can apply mapped materials to the surface. The Generate Mapping Coordinates control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface sub-object level. Flip Normals—Turn on to reverse the direction of the surface normals. The Flip Normals control is present on the Modify panel. It is at the Surface sub-object level.
1106 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Editing Point Sub-Objects (page 1–1123) NURBS Curve Primitives Create panel > Shapes button > NURBS Curves NURBS (page 3–980) curves are Shape objects (page 1–262), and you can use them as you do splines. You can use the Extrude or Lathe modifiers to generate a 3D surface based on a NURBS curve. You can use NURBS curves as the path or the shape of a loft. (Lofts created using NURBS curves are loft objects, not NURBS objects.
Point Curve construction plane and the actual point offset from the plane. You can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case the software sets the height of the point using the point’s Z axis in the inactive viewport. This lets you set the height of the point with accuracy. Snaps (page 2–41) also work when you change the height of a point.
1108 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling As with splines, if you click over the curve’s initial point, a Close Curve dialog (page 1–1235) is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the initial point is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates the curve’s direction.
Point Curve Use V iewport settings—Lets you set different rendering parameters, and displays the mesh generated by the Viewport settings. Available only when Enable in Viewport is turned on. Sides—Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section. Generate Mapping Coords—Turn this on to apply Angle—Adjusts the rotational position of the cross-section in the viewport or renderer.
1110 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Keyboard Entry rollout The Keyboard Entry rollout lets you create a NURBS curve by typing. Use the Tab key to move between the controls in this rollout. To click a button from the keyboard, press Enter while the button is active. Draw In All V iewports—Lets you use any viewport while you are drawing the curve. This is one way to create a 3D curve. When off, you must finish drawing the curve in the viewport where you began it. Default=on.
CV Curve from the plane. You can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case the software sets the height of the CV using the CV’s Z axis in the inactive viewport. This lets you set the height of the CV with accuracy. Snaps (page 2–41) also work when you change the height of a CV. For example, if you turn on CV snapping, you can set a CV to have the same height as another CV by snapping to that other CV in an inactive viewport. CVs shape the control lattice that defines the curve.
1112 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling want the curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object level.) When a closed curve is displayed at the Curve sub-object level, the initial CV is displayed as a green circle, and a green tick mark indicates the curve’s direction. 5. Adjust the curve’s creation parameters. 6.
CV Curve segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is less than the threshold angle. Threshold—Specifies the threshold angle in degrees. Any two adjacent spline segments are put in the same smoothing group if the angle between them is less than the threshold angle. Splines rendered at thickness of 1.0 and 5.0, respectively Sides—Sets the number of sides (or facets) for the spline mesh n the viewport or renderer. For example, a value of 4 results in a square cross section.
1114 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Finish—Ends creation of the curve, leaving it open ended. Create CV Curve rollout Chord Length—Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization. Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space (page 3–988)) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment. Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice. Uniform—Spaces the knots uniformly.
Creating NURBS Curves from Splines 2-Sided in the Render Scene dialog to see both sides of the extruded or lathed surface. To see both sides in viewports, turn on Force 2-Sided in the Viewport Configuration dialog. By default, an object with Extrude or Lathe collapses to an editable mesh (page 1–996) object. To have Extrude or Lathe output collapse to a NURBS object, change the setting to NURBS in the Output group box of the Extrude or Lathe rollout, and then collapse the modifier stack (page 3–760).
1116 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Creating NURBS Surfaces from Geometric Primitives Procedure To turn a primitive into a NURBS object: 1. Create the primitive object. Go to the Modify panel. 2. 3. In the stack display, right-click the name of the object. 4. On the pop-up menu, choose Convert To: NURBS. The object is converted to one or more CV surfaces. The surfaces can be independent surface sub-objects, or dependent surface sub-objects such as Lathe.
Display Controls for NURBS Models Procedure To use nonrelational NURBS surfaces: 1. Make sure Relational Stack is off and Shaded Lattice is chosen. 2. Set up your modifiers and animation. 3. If your model has only independent CV surfaces, you can render it now. If it has relational surfaces such as blends or lofts, then before you render, choose the NURBS model at the bottom of the stack, and turn on Relational Stack.
1118 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Surface Trims—When on, displays surface trimming (page 1–1080). When turned off, displays the entire surface, even if it’s trimmed. Keyboard shortcut (while Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on): Ctrl+Shift+T Display group Lattices—When on, displays control lattices in yellow lines. (You can change the lattice color using the Colors panel (page 3–799) of the Customize User Interface dialog.
Display Line Parameters for NURBS Surfaces Shaded Lattice—When chosen, NURBS surfaces appear as shaded lattices in shaded viewports. Wireframe viewports display the surface’s lattice without shading. A shaded lattice shades the CV control lattice (page 3–923) of the NURBS surface. This displays more quickly than a tessellated mesh. The shading is not accurate. It gives you a fairly good idea of lofts, but is less accurate for free-form surfaces.
1120 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling • To maintain parametric control over primitives. Creating and Editing NURBS Sub-Objects For example, if you import a sphere, you can change its radius directly, which you can’t do after using Attach. • To use Bezier splines as NURBS curves. Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects Modify panel > Select NURBS object.
Attaching and Importing 3ds Max Objects a converted NURBS curve. Leaving the Imports sub-object level returns to NURBS-style display. You can extract an imported object. This creates an independent, top-level object again. Procedures To attach or import an object to a NURBS object: 1. Select the NURBS object and go to the Modify panel. 2. (Optional.) Turn on Reorient if you want to reorient and align the import with the center of the NURBS object. 3. Turn on Attach or Import.
1122 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Common Sub-Object Controls selection modifier, NSurf Sel (page 1–747). See NURBS and Modifiers (page 1–1089). Many controls are common to the various kinds of sub-objects in NURBS models (with the exception of Imports (page 1–1120)). This topic introduces the controls that are common to most NURBS sub-objects. Selection controls also include a Name field that lets you customize the name of individual NURBS sub-objects other than CVs.
Editing Point Sub-Objects You can also use the Detach button to create a new NURBS object that is a copy of a curve or surface sub-object. To do so, select the curve or surface, and click to turn on Copy before you click Detach. A dialog is displayed, which lets you enter a name for the new object. The original curve or surface sub-object remains part of the NURBS object you were editing, but the copied curve or surface is now a NURBS object of its own.
1124 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 1. Turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle. The point, row, or column is deleted. Deleting a "single" point actually deletes both the row and column to which the point belongs. 2. Click or drag to select points. To add a point to a curve: 3. Hold down Ctrl and use the arrow keys to 1. In the Refine group box, turn on Curve. move among the point sub-objects. For points on curves, the arrow keys traverse the point selection along the length of the curve.
Editing Point Sub-Objects it. If the first point has an animation controller, the controller is discarded. If the second point has an animation controller, the first point acquires it too. Fused points display in purple by default. To unfuse fused points: 1. Select the fused point. 2. Click Unfuse. Now you can move and edit the two points independently. To transform a region: 1. Using sub-object selection, select one or more points for the center of transformation. 2. Turn on Soft Selection. 3.
1126 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Column of Points—When on, clicking a point selects the entire column the point belongs to. Dragging selects all columns in the region. If the point is on a curve, Column of Points selects only a single point. Row and Column of Points—When on, clicking a point selects both the row and column the point belongs to. Dragging selects all rows and columns in the region. All Points—When on, clicking or dragging selects all the points in the curve or surface.
Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects Surf Row & Col.—Adds both a row and a column to a point surface; their intersection is where you click the surface. Warning: When you add points, you lose the animation controllers for all points on the curve or surface. The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic, provides some additional options for selecting CV sub-objects. 2. Turn on Move or another transform and then drag in a viewport to transform the selection.
1128 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Ctrl+H displays only the names of CVs directly beneath the mouse cursor. To remove a CV from a curve: an animation controller, the first CV acquires it too. Fused CVs display in purple by default. 1. Select a CV. To unfuse fused CVs: 2. Click Delete. 1. Select the fused CV. Keyboard shortcut: Delete The CV is deleted and the shape of the curve is updated. Note: A CV curve must have at least one more CV than the degree (page 3–927) of the curve. 2. Click Unfuse.
Editing Curve CV Sub-Objects toward the CV. Decreasing the weight relaxes the curve away from the CV. Increasing weight is a way to harden a curve; that is, to sharpen its curvature at a particular location. By default, the weight is 1.0 for the CVs of NURBS objects that you create on the Create panel or the NURBS sub-object creation rollouts. The weight of CVs in geometry that you convert to NURBS can vary, depending on the object’s original shape. You can change the weight when multiple CVs are selected.
1130 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Refine—Refines the curve by adding CVs. Warning: When you add CVs with Refine, you lose the animation controllers for all CVs on the curve. As you move the mouse over the CV curve, a preview of the CVs that will be added, and their locations, is displayed in blue. Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects Modify panel > Select NURBS object or sub-object. > Stack display > Surface CV sub-object level > Select CV sub-objects. Modify panel > Select NURBS object or sub-object.
Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects The Selection group box, described under "Interface" later in this topic, provides additional options for selecting CV sub-objects. 2. Turn on Move or another transform and then drag in a viewport to transform the selection. The shape of the model changes as you interactively transform the CVs. Rotate and Scale are useful only when you’ve selected multiple CVs. Tips • The Lock Selection Set button is useful when you transform NURBS CV sub-objects.
1132 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling To fuse two CVs: Interface 1. Turn on Fuse. In addition to the CV rollout described here, the Surface CV sub-object level also displays the Soft Selection rollout (page 1–1147). 2. Click a CV without releasing the mouse button. Drag to another CV, and then release the mouse button. The first CV you choose acquires the position of the second CV, and becomes dependent to it. If the first CV has an animation controller, the controller is discarded.
Editing Surface CV Sub-Objects Single CV—(The default.) When on, you can select individual CVs by clicking, or groups of CVs by dragging a region. Row of CVs—When on, clicking a CV selects the entire row the CV belongs to. Dragging selects all rows in the region. Column of CVs—When on, clicking a CV selects the entire column the CV belongs to. Dragging selects all columns in the region. value you choose.
1134 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling you finish dragging the CV selection, the active constraint button turns off. U—Constrains the CV selection to move in the surface’s U dimension. Keyboard shortcut (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on): Alt+U V—Constrains the CV selection to move in the surface’s V dimension. Keyboard shortcut (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on): Alt+V Normal—Constrains the CV selection to move normal to the original surface.
Editing Curve Sub-Objects The Sub-Object Clone Options (page 1–1237) dialog is displayed. This dialog provides various ways to clone the curves, some of which reduce relational dependencies to improve performance. CVs Selected—This text field shows how many CVs are currently selected. Editing Curve Sub-Objects Modify panel > Stack display > Open the NURBS object’s hierarchy. > Curve sub-object level > Select curve sub-objects. This topic describes the controls that are common to point and CV curves.
1136 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling The Make Point Curve (page 1–1235) dialog is displayed. This dialog asks how many points the new point curve should have. 2. Change the number of points, and then click OK. Reducing the number of points can change the shape of the curve. If the selected curve is already a point curve, you can use Make Fit to change the number of points it has. To select a first vertex on the curve: • Select the curve sub-object, turn on Make First, and then click a location on the curve.
Editing Curve Sub-Objects To reverse a curve: • Select a curve sub-object and then click Reverse. If the curve is a closed curve, Break creates a single curve object, with its new start and end points at the location you clicked. The new start and end points are coincident but independent. To close a curve: • Select the curve and then click Close. The software closes the curve by adding a segment between the curve’s endpoints.
1138 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Curve Common rollout Curve sub-object selection controls Single Curve—Clicking or transforming a curve selects only a single independent curve sub-object. All Connected Curves—Clicking or transforming a curve selects all curve sub-objects that are connected within the NURBS object. To be connected, two curves must have fused points, or one curve must be a connected dependent (a blend, fillet, or chamfer) of the other.
Editing Curve Sub-Objects Reverse—Reverses the order of the CVs or points in a curve, so that the first vertex becomes the last, and the last becomes the first. The first point or CV is significant when you use the NURBS curve like a spline: as a loft (page 1–352) path or shape, as a path constraint (page 2–398) path, or as a motion trajectory (page 2–301). For these purposes, the first vertex of the curve is significant.
1140 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Warning: When you break a curve sub-object, you lose the animation controllers for all points or CVs on the curve. the number of CVs in the curve. Degree 3 curves are adequate to represent continuous curves, and are stable and well behaved. Default=3. Join—Joins two curve sub-objects together. After Setting the degree greater than 3 isn’t recommended because higher-degree curves are slower to calculate and less stable numerically.
Editing Surface Sub-Objects rebuild the curve. Rebuilding the curve can change its appearance. Procedures Reparam.—Displays the Reparameterize dialog 1. At the Surface sub-object level, select one or To transform surface sub-objects: (page 1–1237). Reparameterizing a curve changes the curve’s parameter space (page 3–988) to provide a better relation between control point locations and the shape of the curve. more surface sub-objects.
1142 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling At the Surface sub-object level, the left and right arrow keys move forward and backward through individual surfaces in the order they were created. The up and down arrows are equivalent to left and right. You can also use the H keyboard shortcut (while the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle is on) to display a dialog and select surfaces by name. Ctrl+H displays only the names of surfaces directly beneath the mouse cursor.
Editing Surface Sub-Objects which edge you are choosing when two surfaces have coincident edges. Interface Surface Common rollout The Join Surfaces dialog (page 1–1233) is displayed, which gives you a choice of methods for how to join the surfaces. Whichever method you choose, the software creates a single surface that replaces the two original surfaces. To close a surface: • Select the surface sub-object and then click Close Rows or Close Cols.
1144 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Rigid surfaces reduce the amount of memory used by the NURBS model. Making surfaces rigid improves performance, especially for large and complex models. Surface sub-object selection controls Single Surface—Clicking or transforming a surface selects only a single surface sub-object. All Connected Surfaces—Clicking or transforming a surface selects all surface sub-objects that are connected within the NURBS object.
Editing Surface Sub-Objects Make Independent—Disabled if the surface is independent. If the surface is dependent, clicking this button makes it independent. Force 2-Sided in the Rendering Method panel of the Viewport Configuration dialog (page 3–853), or assign a Double-Sided Material (page 2–1591). Warning: When you make a surface independent, you lose the animation controllers for all objects that depend on it in turn.
1146 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Chord Length—Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization. Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space (page 3–988)) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment. Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice. Uniform—Spaces the knots uniformly. U Degree and V Degree—Let you set the degree of the surface in either the U or V dimension. The higher the degree value, the greater the continuity.
Soft Selection Rollout (NURBS) Point Surface rollout This additional rollout appears when a point surface is selected. The close controls let you close a surface. They appear on the Point Surface rollout while an independent point surface sub-object is selected. They have no effect if the surface is already closed in that direction. Close Rows—Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows. Close Cols.—Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns.
1148 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Left: Falloff=20 (the default) Right: Falloff=40 Pinch—Raises and lowers the top point of the curve along the vertical axis. Sets the relative "pointedness" of the region. When negative, a crater is produced instead of a point. At a setting of 0, Pinch produces a smooth transition across this axis. Default=0. Soft Selection—When on, point or CV transforms affect a region of the curve or surface.
Material Properties Rollout make one checker color another checker map on channel 2. Interface Material Properties rollout Left: Bubble=1 Right: Bubble=6 Falloff and Pinch have their default values. Material Properties Rollout Modify panel > Select NURBS object. > Stack display > Surface sub-object level > Material Properties rollout This rollout controls material mapping onto a NURBS surface sub-object. Procedures To apply a mapped material to a surface sub-object: 1.
1150 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Texture Channels group The controls in this group box support materials, including tiling and positioning mapping coordinates on the surface. Map Channel—Chooses a UV coordinates map channel (page 3–966). Range=1 to 99. A single surface can use up to 99 texture channels. Default=1. Gen. Mapping Coordinates—Generates mapping coordinates so you can apply mapped materials to the surface. Each surface in a NURBS object has its own set of mapping coordinates. Default=off.
Creating Curve Sub-Objects User Defined—Generates a texture surface that you can edit. You edit the user-defined texture surface either by using an Edit Texture Surface dialog (as you did in 3ds Max prior to v3), or by editing texture points directly in viewports. Edit Texture Surface—Click to display the Edit Texture Surface dialog (page 1–1230), which lets you control UV mapping on this surface. This button is available when you’ve chosen User Defined as the texture surface method.
1152 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Create an independent point curve sub-object (page 1–1155). Create a dependent fit curve (as with the Curve Fit (page 1–1157) button). Create a dependent transform curve (page 1–1157). Create a dependent blend curve (page 1–1158). Create a dependent offset curve (page 1–1159). Create a dependent mirror curve (page 1–1160). Tip: Lathe and extrude surface sub-objects can be based on only a single curve; see Creating Dependent Surfaces (page 1–1177).
CV Curve Sub-Object Create a dependent point curve on surface (page 1–1175). • Click-click. If you Ctrl +click and then release the mouse button, the height changes as you drag the mouse. Clicking the mouse a second time sets the CV’s location. Create a dependent surface offset curve (page 1–1167). Create a dependent surface edge curve (page 1–1177). CV Curve Sub-Object Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > CV Curve button Select NURBS object.
1154 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling To lift a CV off the construction plane, use the Ctrl key as described earlier in this topic under "Drawing Three-Dimensional Curves." As with splines, if you click over the curve’s initial CV, a Close Curve dialog (page 1–1228) is displayed. This dialog asks whether you want the curve to be closed. Click No to keep the curve open or Yes to close the curve. (You can also close a curve when you edit it at the Curve sub-object level.
Point Curve Sub-Object be compatible with models created using other surface modeling programs. Point Curve Sub-Object The number of CVs in a CV curve must be at least one greater than the curve’s degree. Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Point Curve button Automatic Reparameterization group Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Point Curve button The controls in this group box let you specify automatic reparameterization.
1156 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling construction plane and the actual point offset from the plane. You can move the mouse into an inactive viewport, in which case the software sets the height of the point using the point’s Z axis in the inactive viewport. This lets you set the height of the point with accuracy. Snaps (page 2–41) also work when you change the height of a point.
Curve Fit Curve Fit Transform Curve Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Curve Fit button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Transform button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Fit Curve button Select NURBS object.
1158 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling curve in place; then once it is created, transform it using constraints. Tip: You can also use axis constraints by using Shift +clone at the Curve sub-object level. Interface Creation time At creation time, transform curves have no parameters. Transform Curve rollout (modification time) At modification time, you can transform the transform curve as a curve sub-object, and you can animate curve sub-object transforms.
Offset Curve value, the more closely the tangent parallels the parent curve, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater the tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend. Tension 1—Controls tension at the edge of the first Offset Curve Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Offset button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Offset Curve button curve you clicked.
1160 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Offset Curve rollout (creation time) Offset—The distance between the parent curve and the offset curve, in 3ds Max units. This parameter is animatable. Offset Curve rollout (modification time) Curve used to create a mirror curve Procedure To create a mirror curve: 1. Offset—The distance between the parent curve and the offset curve, in 3ds Max units. Replace Base Curve—Lets you replace the parent curve.
Chamfer Curve Mirror Curve rollout (creation time) Mirror Axis group The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original curve is mirrored. Mirror Axis group The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original curve is mirrored. You can’t transform the mirror curve directly (that would simply transform the mirror curve and its parent curve at the same time). You transform it by transforming its gizmo.
1162 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Chamfer Curve rollout (creation time) Creating chamfers between two original curves Procedure To create a chamfer curve: 1. In a NURBS object that contains at least two curves, turn on Chamfer. Tip: Make sure the curves intersect before you begin to create the chamfer. 2. Click one curve near the end that you want to connect. The end that will be connected is highlighted.
Chamfer Curve Chamfer Curve rollout (modification time) Flipping the direction of a trim Trim Curve—When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet curve. When off, the parent isn’t trimmed. Flip Trim—When on, trims in the opposite direction. Seed 1 and Seed 2—Change the U location of the seed value on the first and second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the seed points is the one used to create the chamfer.
1164 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Flipping the direction of a trim Trim Curve—When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet curve. When off, the parent isn’t trimmed. Flip Trim—When on, trims in the opposite Above: Two simple fillets Below: Flip Trim changes the direction of trimming and the shape the fillet. direction. Seed 1 and Seed 2—Change the U location of the seed value on the first and second curves.
Fillet Curve Interface Fillet Curve rollout (creation time) Seed 1 and Seed 2—Change the U location of the seed value on the first and second curves. If there is a choice of directions, the direction indicated by the seed points is the one used to create the fillet. Fillet Curve rollout (modification time) Radius—The radius of the fillet arc in the current 3ds Max units. Default=10.0. This parameter is animatable.
1166 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Trim Curve—When on (the default), trims the parent curve against the fillet curve. When off, the parent isn’t trimmed. Flip Trim—When on, trims in the opposite direction. Seed 1 and Seed 2—Change the U location of the If the surfaces intersect at two or more locations, the intersection closest to the seed point is the one that creates the curve. Procedure To create a surface-surface intersection curve: seed value on the first and second curves.
Surface Offset Curve U Seed and V Seed—Change the UV location of the seed value on surface 1, the first surface you clicked. If there is a choice of intersections, the intersection closest to the seed point is the one used to create the curve. Surf-Surf Intersection Curve rollout (modification time) Replace First Surface and Replace Second Surface—Let you replace the parent surfaces. Click a button, then click the surface to replace the original first or second surface.
1168 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling toolbox, or Surf Offset on the Create Curves rollout. U and V Iso Curves 2. Put the cursor over a curve that lies on a surface, Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > U Iso Curve button or V Iso Curve button and drag to set the offset amount. Release the mouse button to end curve creation. Select NURBS object.
Normal Projected Curve Interface Trim Controls group Iso Curve rollout (creation time) Trim—When on, trims the surface against the iso curve. Flip Trim—When on, flips the direction of the trim. Replace Base Surface—Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button, then click the new surface on which to base the iso curve. Normal Projected Curve Position—Sets the iso curve’s position along the U or V axis of the surface. This parameter is animatable.
1170 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Procedure To create a normal projected curve: 1. In a NURBS object that contains at least one surface and one curve sub-object, turn on Normal Projected Curve in the NURBS toolbox or Normal Proj. on the Create Curves rollout. of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is the one used to create the curve. Normal Projected Curve rollout (modification time) 2. Click the curve, then click the surface where you want the normal projected curve to lie.
Vector Projected Curve 2. Click the curve, then the surface where you Vector Projected Curve Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Vector Proj. button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Vector Projected Curve button A Vector Projected curve lies on a surface.
1172 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling U Seed and V Seed—Change the UV location of the seed value on the surface. If there is a choice of projections, the projection closest to the seed point is the one used to create the curve. Vector Projected Curve rollout (modification time) CV Curve on Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > CV on Surf button Select NURBS object.
CV Curve on Surface create a curve on a surface if the portion of the surface where the curve will lie is clearly visible in the viewport. However, this method doesn’t let you place CVs on surface locations that are not visible in the viewport (they are on back faces, lie behind other geometry, and so on).
1174 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice. Uniform—Spaces the knots uniformly. A uniform knot vector has the advantage that the curve will change only locally when you edit it. With the other two forms of parameterization, moving any CV can change the entire curve. 2D View—When on, displays the Edit Curve on Surface dialog (page 1–1229), which lets you create the curve in a two-dimensional (UV) representation of the surface.
Point Curve on Surface Point Curve on Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Point on Surf button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Point Curve on Surface button A point curve on surface is similar to a plain point curve, but it lies on a surface. You create it by drawing rather than projecting from a different curve. You can use this curve type for trimming (page 1–1080) the surface on which it lies.
1176 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Procedure Flip Trim—When on, trims the surface in the To create a point curve on surface: opposite direction. 1. In a NURBS object that contains at least one surface, turn on Create Point Curve on Surface in the NURBS toolbox, or Point on Surf on the Create Curves rollout. 2. Do one of the following: • Draw the curve in the viewport, using the mouse above the surface.
Surface Edge Curve Seed 1 and Seed 2—The curve resides on the edge Surface Edge Curve Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Curves rollout > Dependent Curves group box > Surf Edge button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Surface Edge Curve button closest to the two seed values. Adjust the seed values to change the edge on which the curve resides. Replace Surface— This lets you replace the parent surface.
1178 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Create an independent point surface sub-object (page 1–1181). Create a dependent transform surface (page 1–1182). Create a dependent blend surface (page 1–1183). Create a dependent offset surface (page 1–1186). Create a dependent mirror surface (page 1–1187). Tip: Lathe and extrude surface sub-objects can be based on only a single curve.
CV Surface Sub-Object Create a dependent multicurve trimmed surface (page 1–1214). CV Surface rollout (creation time) Create a dependent fillet surface (page 1–1216). CV Surface Sub-Object Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > CV Surf Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create CV Surface button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Right-click a viewport.
1180 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling doesn’t change as you edit it, and can become irregular. None—Do not reparameterize. Chord Length—Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization. Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space (page 3–988)) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment. Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice. Uniform—Spaces the knots uniformly.
Point Surface Sub-Object Close Cols.—Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns. 2. In a viewport, drag to specify the initial area of Rebuild—Displays the Rebuild CV Surface dialog 3. Adjust the point surface’s creation parameters. (page 1–1236), which lets you specify how to rebuild the surface. Rebuilding the surface can change its appearance. Interface Reparameterize—Displays the Reparameterize dialog (page 1–1237).
1182 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Point Surface rollout (modification time) Procedure To create a transform surface: • The close controls let you close a surface. They appear on the Point Surface rollout while an independent point surface sub-object is selected. They have no effect if the surface is already closed in that direction. Close Rows—Closes the surface by joining the ends of its rows. Close Cols.—Closes the surface by joining the ends of its columns. Transform Surface Select NURBS object.
Blend Surface Transform Surface rollout (modification time) Replace Base Surface—Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button, then click the surface to replace the original surface. Blend Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > Blend Select NURBS object.
1184 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling parallels the parent surface, and the smoother the transition. The lower the tension, the greater the tangent angle and the sharper the transition between parent and blend. Tension 1—Controls tension at the edge of the first surface you clicked. This value has no effect if the edge is a curve. Tension 2—Controls tension at the edge of the second surface you clicked. This value has no effect if the edge is a curve. A. No flipping B. End 2 is flipped.
Blend Surface Start Point 1 and Start Point 2—Adjust the position Tension 2—Controls tension at the edge of the of the start point at the two edges of the blend. Adjusting the start points can help eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface. second surface you clicked. This value has no effect if the edge is a curve. These spinners are unavailable if the edges or curves are not closed. While you’re adjusting start points, a dotted blue line is displayed between them, to show the alignment.
1186 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling surface as the original edge, or on a different surface. Offset Surface rollout (creation time) Offset Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > Offset Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Offset Surface button An Offset surface is offset a specified distance from the original along the parent surface’s normals.
Mirror Surface Offset Surface rollout (modification time) Procedure To create a mirror surface: 1. In a NURBS object that contains at least one surface, turn on Mirror. 2. On the Mirror Surface rollout, choose the axis Offset—The distance between the parent surface and the offset surface in 3ds Max units. If the parent surface is planar, the appearance of the offset surface doesn’t change with distance.
1188 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Mirror Axis group The Mirror Axis buttons control the direction in which the original surface is mirrored. You can’t transform the mirror surface directly (that would simply transform the mirror surface and its parent surface at the same time). You transform it by transforming its gizmo. By using transforms you can mirror about an arbitrary axis, rather than using one of the Mirror Axis presets.
Extrude Surface Extrude Surface rollout (creation time) Surface extruded from a curve Amount—The distance the surface is extruded from the parent curve in current 3ds Max units. Procedure This parameter is animatable. To create an extrude surface: 1. In a NURBS object that contains at least one curve, turn on Extrude. 2. Move the cursor over the curve to extrude, and drag to set the initial amount. By default, the surface extrudes along the NURBS model’s local Z axis.
1190 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling rather than a property (or parameter) of extrude surfaces. To flip the normal of an extrude cap, select it as a Surface sub-object and use the Flip Normals toggle on the Surface Common rollout. Lathe Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > Lathe Select NURBS object.
Lathe Surface Degrees—Sets the angle of rotation. At 360 degrees (the default), the surface completely surrounds the axis. At lower values, the surface is a partial rotation. The Flip Normals control lets you flip the surface normals at creation time. (After creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface Common rollout.) 3. Adjust the lathe parameters. A partial lathe (degrees=225) Direction group X, Y, and Z—Choose the axis of rotation. Default=Y.
1192 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Max—Locates the lathe axis at the curve’s positive local X-axis boundary. Adding a cap to a partial lathe Min, Center, and Max lathes of the same curve Lathe Surface rollout (modification time) Start Point—Adjusts the position of the curve’s start point. This can help eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface. This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve. The start point is displayed as a blue circle.
Ruled Surface Center—Locates the lathe axis at the curve’s center. Automatic Curve Attachment Max—Locates the lathe axis at the curve’s positive When you create a ruled surface, you can select curves that are not already sub-objects of the active NURBS model. You can select another curve or spline Splines object in the scene. When you select that curve, it attaches to the current object as if you had used the Attach button (page 1–1120). local X-axis boundary.
1194 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface Ruled Surf rollout (modification time) When you turn on the Ruled button, and while a ruled surface sub-object is selected, a rollout with the ruled surface parameters is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel. Ruled Surf rollout (creation time) Flip Beginning and Flip End—Flip one of the curve directions used to construct the ruled surface. A ruled surface is created using the directions of the parent curves.
Cap Surface Cap Surface creation, you can flip normals using controls on the Surface Common rollout.) Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > Cap Interface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Cap Surface button While a cap surface sub-object is selected, a rollout with cap surface controls is displayed at the bottom of the Modify panel.
1196 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling U Loft Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > U Loft Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create U Loft Surface button A U loft surface interpolates a surface across multiple curve sub-objects. The curves become U-axis contours of the surface. Closed U lofts Automatic Curve Attachment When you create a U loft, you can select curves that are not already sub-objects of the active NURBS model.
U Loft Surface To create a U loft with automatic attach (example): 1. From the Create panel, create three or more independent CV or Point NURBS curves. 2. Go to the Modify panel, and click to turn on U Loft in the NURBS toolbox. 3. Select the curves in the appropriate order for the loft. The U loft is created. You don’t have to collapse the curves to a NURBS surface, or attach them to an existing NURBS model (page 1–1120).
1198 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling U Loft Surface rollout (creation time) Curve Properties group These controls affect individual curves you select in the U Curves list, as opposed to properties of the loft surface in general. They are enabled only when you have selected a curve in the U Curves list. Reverse—When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve. Start Point—Adjusts the position of the curve’s start point. This control is disabled if the curve is not a closed curve.
U Loft Surface Replace—(Disabled.) Display While Creating—When on, the U loft surface is displayed while you create it. When off, the loft is created more quickly. Default=off. Flip Normals—Reverses the direction of the U loft’s normals. U Loft Surface rollout (modification time) Arrow Buttons—Use these to change the order of curves used to construct the U loft. Select a curve in the list, and then use the arrows to move the selection up or down. These buttons are available at creation time.
1200 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling automatic alignment minimizes the amount of twisting in the loft surface. Default=off. Close Loft—If the loft was initially an open surface, turning on this toggle closes it by adding a new segment to connect the first curve and the last curve. Default=off. Insert—Adds a curve to the U loft surface. Click to turn on Insert, then click the curve. The curve is inserted before the selected curve.
UV Loft Surface Warning: If the curve you attach is a sub-object of another NURBS model, the entire model (that is, the curve’s parent NURBS object) is attached as well. As you move the mouse over a curve that is not part of the active NURBS object, the cursor changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but the curve is not highlighted in blue. Procedures To create a UV loft: 1.
1202 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling changes shape to indicate that you can pick the curve, but the curve is not highlighted in blue. UV Loft Surface rollout (creation time) Interface While a UV Loft sub-object is selected, a rollout with the UV loft parameters appears. This rollout appears only when one UV loft sub-object is selected. It isn’t possible to edit more than one UV loft at a time, so unlike some other NURBS sub-objects, the rollout doesn’t appear when multiple UV loft sub-objects are selected.
UV Loft Surface Insert—(Disabled.) Remove—Removes a curve from the U list or V list. Select the curve in the list, and then click Remove. Refine—(Disabled.) U Curves and V Curves—These lists show the names of the curves you click, in the order you click them. You can select a curve by clicking its name in a list. Viewports display the selected curve in blue. Replace—(Disabled.) The two buttons above and the four below each list are identical for both lists.
1204 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling or CVs of the curve are displayed, as well as the control lattice if the curve is a CV curve. You can now transform or otherwise change the points or CVs as if you were at the Point or Curve CV sub-object level. To finish editing the curve, click to turn off Edit Curves.
1-Rail Sweep Surface 2. Click to turn on 1 Rail Sweep in the toolbox or on the Create Surfaces rollout. 3. Click the curve to use as the rail, then click each of the cross-section curves. Right-click to end creation. The sweep is interpolated smoothly between the cross sections, following the outline defined by the rail. Example: To create a 1-rail sweep with automatic attach: 1. From the Create panel, create two independent CV or Point NURBS curves. 2.
1206 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 1-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (creation time) Curve Properties group These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list, as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list. Reverse—When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve. Start Point—Adjusts the position of the curve’s start point.
1-Rail Sweep Surface as they travel along the rail. In other words, the cross sections bank like a car following a road, or a camera following a path constraint (page 2–398). Default=off. 1-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (modification time) When you edit the surface, you can control the angle of banking. The up-vector is displayed as a yellow gizmo (similar to the gizmo that lathe surfaces (page 1–1190) use for the center of rotation).
1208 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Curve Properties group These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list, as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list. Reverse—When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve. Start Point—Adjusts the position of the curve’s start point. This can help eliminate unwanted twists or "buckles" in the surface.
2-Rail Sweep Surface curves easier to see and improve performance. Use Ctrl+D (while the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle (page 3–872) is on) to toggle display of dependent sub-objects, including sweeps. The sweep surface can deviate from the curve if you edit a curve in a sweep by increasing the weight of the curve CVs. You can work around this by refining the curve at the point where the surface deviates. 2-Rail Sweep Surface Select NURBS object.
1210 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Example: To create a 2-rail sweep with automatic attach: 2-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (creation time) 1. From the Create panel, create three independent CV or Point NURBS curves. 2. Go to the Modify panel, and click to turn on 2-Rail Sweep in the NURBS toolbox. 3. Select the curves in the appropriate order for the sweep. The sweep is created. You don’t need to collapse the curves to a NURBS surface or Attach them to an existing NURBS model.
2-Rail Sweep Surface of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list. the rails. The cross sections in the middle are translated to touch the rails at the closest point to the ends of the cross-section curves. Default=off. Reverse—When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve. When Snap Cross-Sections is on, the sweep follows the rail curves exactly. This makes it easier to construct 2-rail sweep surfaces.
1212 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 2-Rail Sweep Surface rollout (Modification time) and then use the arrows to move the selection up or down. Curve Properties group These controls affect individual curves you select in the Section Curves list, as opposed to properties of the sweep surface in general. They are enabled only when you have selected a curve in the Section Curves list. Reverse—When set, reverses the direction of the selected curve. Start Point—Adjusts the position of the curve’s start point.
Multisided Blend Surface Replace—Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click this button, then select the new curve. Sweep Parallel—When off, the rail curves define a ruled surface, and the cross sections describe lofting from this base ruled surface. When on, each cross section is associated with its best fitting plane. This plane moves along the rails and parallel to them. If the rails are curved, the plane can rotate.
1214 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Tip: If the multisided blend surface can’t be created, fuse the points or CVs at the corners where the surfaces meet. Sometimes snapping the corners doesn’t work, because of round-off error. Procedure Multicurve Trimmed Surface Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Surfaces rollout > Dependent Surfaces group box > Multi-Trim Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create a Multicurve Trimmed Surface button To create a multisided blend: 1.
Multicurve Trimmed Surface 3. Project the curves onto the surface by creating a normal or vector projected curve for each curve in the loop. Multicurve Trimmed Surface rollout (creation time) Tip: You can also use CV or point curve on surface for these curves. 4. Turn on Multicurve Trimmed Surface in the toolbox or Multi-Trim on the Create Surfaces rollout. 5. Click the surface to trim, then click each of the curves in the loop. Right-click to end creation.
1216 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Multicurve Trimmed Surface rollout (modification time) Replace—Lets you replace the selected curve. Select a curve in the list, click this button, and then select the new curve. Flip Trim—Reverses the direction of the trim. Along with Edit Curves, the Insert, Remove, and Replace buttons let you alter the curves that trim the surface.
Fillet Surface Procedure To create a fillet surface: 1. In a NURBS object, turn on Fillet on the Create Surfaces rollout or Create Fillet Surface in the toolbox. 2. Click to choose the first parent surface, then click to choose the second parent surface. Potential parent surfaces are highlighted in blue as you move the mouse in a viewport. The fillet surface is created. If the fillet surface can’t be created, a default error surface is displayed (by default, the error surface displays as orange).
1218 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Flip Trim—Reverses the direction of the trim. Radius Interpolation group Flip Normals—Turn on to reverse the direction of This group box controls the radius of the fillet. The Radius Interpolation setting has no effect unless one or both surfaces that define the fillet have curvature to them. the fillet surface’s normals. Fillet Surface rollout (modification time) Linear—When chosen (the default), the radius is always linear.
Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects Creating and Editing Point Sub-Objects Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Points rollout Point (NURBS) Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Points rollout > Point button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox > Create Point button Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > NURBS toolbox Keyboard > Ctrl+T to toggle NURBS toolbox display (Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle must be on.) This command creates an independent, freestanding point.
1220 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 2. On the Modify > Create Points rollout, turn on Offset Point. 3. In a viewport, click an existing point. 4. In the Modify > Offset Points rollout, use the Offset spinners to adjust the point’s position relative to the original point. Curve Point Select NURBS object. > Modify panel > Create Points rollout > Dependent Points group box > Curve Point button Select NURBS object.
Curve Point 4. Right-click to end operation. Interface While a curve point sub-object is selected, the Curve Point rollout appears. U Position—Specifies the point’s location on the curve or relative to the curve. On Curve—When on, the point lies on the curve at the U Position. Offset—Moves the point according to a relative (object space) X,Y,Z location. This is relative to the U Position. X Offset, Y Offset, and Z Offset—Specify the object space location of the offset curve point.
1222 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling 3. Right-click to end the create operation. 4. At the Point sub-object level, adjust the point’s position relative to the surface by adjusting the surface point parameters in the Surface Point rollout. Offset, normal, and tangent displacement of a curve point Trimming group box Controls in this group box let you trim the parent curve. Trim Curve—When on, trims the parent curve against the curve point’s U position. When off (the default), the parent isn’t trimmed.
Curve-Curve Intersection Point Tangent—Moves the point along the tangent of the UV position. U Tangent and V Tangent—Specify the distance from the surface along the tangents at U and V. Replace Base Surface—(Only at modification time.) Lets you replace the parent surface. Click the button, then click the new surface on which to base the surface point. Curve-Curve Intersection Point Select NURBS object.
1224 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Trim Curve—When on, the parent curve is trimmed against the curve-curve point. When off (the default), the parent isn’t trimmed. Flip Trim—When on, trims in the opposite direction. Seed 1 and Seed 2—Change the U location of the seed value on the first and second curves. If there is a choice of intersections, the intersection closest to the seed points is the one used to create the point. Replace First Curve and Replace Second Curve—(Only at modification time.
Convert Curve Dialog NURBS Editing Dialogs Convert Curve Dialog Modify panel > Select NURBS curve sub-object. > Curve Common rollout > Convert Curve button Interface This dialog is a general way to convert one kind of a curve to another or to adjust a curve’s parameters. While a surface-curve intersection point sub-object is selected, a rollout with its parameters appears. Interface Trim Curve group Trim—When on, trims the curve from the surface. When off, the curve isn’t trimmed.
1226 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Reparameterization group These controls let you reparameterize the CV curve and turn on automatic reparameterization. Chord Length—Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization. Convert Curve on Surface Dialog Modify panel > Select NURBS object. > Stack display > Curve sub-object level > Select curve sub-object.
Convert Surface Dialog Number of Points—Specifies the number of points From U and V Iso Lines—Uses curves from both the in the new curve. U and V dimensions to construct a UV loft. Preview—When on, previews the effect of the conversion in viewports. Default=on. U Curves—Sets the number of curves in U. Convert Surface Dialog Modify panel > Select NURBS surface sub-object.
1228 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Number—When chosen, the spinners set the Delete Original Curves—This is available only if the number of CVs in the CV surface. surface was already a U loft or UV loft. When on, Convert Surface deletes the original loft curves when you click OK. When off, the original curves remain where they are. Default=off. In U—Sets the number of CV rows (in the surface’s U axis). In V—Sets the number of CV columns (in the surface’s V axis).
Edit Curve on Surface Dialog Interface You can edit multiple CV on surface (page 1–1172) or Point on surface (page 1–1175) curves, but you can’t edit both types of curves at the same time. The point whose surface you first click is shown as a blue square in the dialog as well as in viewports. As you draw the curve, it appears interactively in viewports and a blue asterisk (*) shows the current mouse location on the surface. Detach as—Lets you assign a name to the new object.
1230 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Move—Moves the selected points. Move is a flyout. The alternative buttons constrain texture points to move either vertically or horizontally. Rotate—Rotates the selected points. Scale—Scales the selected points. This is a flyout that lets you choose between uniform scale, nonuniform scale in the surface’s U dimension, or nonuniform scale in the surface’s V dimension. Pan—Pans the surface view. button works differently.
Edit Texture Surface Dialog Edit Texture Points button. See Material Properties Rollout (page 1–1149). Maps can shift with certain surface approximation methods. This effect is especially noticeable when the surface has animated CVs. You can reduce or eliminate map shifting by changing the mapping method to User Defined. Tip: Don’t use the UVW Map modifier to apply a texture to an animated NURBS surface. Interface Move is a flyout.
1232 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Remove Animation—Removes animation controllers from the selected texture points. Reset to Defaults—Resets user-defined mapping to the default. Rebuild—Displays the Rebuild Texture Surface dialog (page 1–1236), which rebuilds the texture surface and lets you change the number of CV rows or columns. Insert Row, Insert Col., Insert Both—Click one of these buttons to insert a row or column of points, or both at once, into the surface.
Join Surfaces Dialog parent curves, in order to maintain smoothness. (The amount of deviation depends on how far from tangent the two input curves were at the join.) A problem arises when the gap is too small. In this case, the software generates the blend but because there isn’t enough room for it, the resulting curve has a loop. To avoid having this loop, set the Tolerance higher than the gap distance. If you set the tolerance to 0.0, the software chooses a value to use for the Tolerance.
1234 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Creating a blend and then joining the three surfaces into a single surface is the better technique. The result matches the parent surfaces well. Without the blend step, the resulting surface can deviate from the parent surfaces, in order to maintain smoothness. (The amount of deviation depends on how far from tangent the two input surfaces were at the join.) Interface A problem arises when the gap is too small.
Make Point Dialog constructed from intersecting curves behave more predictably. Default=on. Delete Original Loft Curves—This is available only if the surface was already a U loft or UV loft. When on, Make Loft deletes the original loft curves when you click OK. When off, the original curves remain where they are. Default=off. Preview—When on, displays a preview of the new loft surface. Loft creation is faster when Preview is off. Default=off.
1236 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Rebuild CV Curve Dialog Interface Modify panel > Select NURBS object. > Stack display > Curve sub-object level > Select an independent CV curve sub-object. > CV Curve rollout > Rebuild button The Rebuild button for CV curves displays this dialog. It lets you specify how to rebuild the curve. Rebuilding the curve can change its appearance. Interface Tolerance—Rebuilds the surface according to accuracy. The lower the Tolerance value, the more accurate the rebuild.
Reparameterize Dialog Interface Chord Length—Chooses the chord-length algorithm for reparameterization. Chord-length reparameterization spaces knots (in parameter space (page 3–988)) based on the square root of the length of each curve segment. Chord-length reparameterization is usually the best choice. Number in U—Sets the number of CV columns. Uniform—Spaces the knots uniformly. Number in V—Sets the number of CV rows.
1238 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Interface CV surfaces. If Include Parent(s) is off, only the one curve or surface is cloned. Cloning is slower when Include Parent(s) is on, although quicker than Relational Copy. Select By Material ID Dialog Modify panel > Select NURBS object. > Stack display > Curve sub-object level > Select By ID button. This dialog lets you select curve sub-objects by the material ID number assigned to them. Relational Copy—The cloned object is the same type as the original.
Surface Approximation Curve approximation controls are displayed in the creation parameters for curve objects, and on a Curve Approximation rollout for NURBS models (top-level NURBS objects). At the model level, approximation controls affect all curve sub-objects in the model. Curve approximation is accomplished by segments. One or more line segments, or steps, are used to approximate each segment of the curve. For point curves, a segment of a curve is the portion between one point and the next.
1240 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Surface Approximation Per Surface By default, surface sub-objects use the same approximation settings as the top-level NURBS model. You can override these settings. Each surface sub-object now has a Surface Approximation rollout of its own. The controls on this rollout are disabled unless you turn off the Lock to Top Level toggle. With this toggle turned off, you can choose approximation settings specific to this surface sub-object.
Surface Approximation Tessellation Presets group Renderer, Displaced Surface: Lets you choose a preset low, medium, or high quality surface approximation. While a preset is chosen, the values it uses are displayed on the Tessellation Method rollout. Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=10.0 Distance=10.0 Angle=4.0 Merge=(Unavailable) Advanced Parameters > Minimum=0, Maximum=3 Preset values are saved in the 3dsmax.ini (page 1–18) file.
1242 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling five algorithms. Each approximates NURBS surfaces by tessellating them in a different way. Generally speaking, if the preset values you have chosen give good results, you don’t need to adjust the controls on this rollout. Adjust them if you encounter problems with the preset alternative. Tips • Viewport Tessellation: The tessellation method creates the mesh. If you modify the NURBS object with Mesh Select (page 1–719), choose the method that gives the result you need.
Surface Approximation The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object’s bounding box. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time. When both Distance and Angle are 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can become flat surfaces. Curvature mesh of the NURBS teapot Spatial mesh of the NURBS teapot Curvature—(The default.) Generates a variable tessellation based on the curvature of the surface.
1244 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling software ignores this parameter and uses the Edge and Distance values to control accuracy. When Distance, Angle, and Edge are all 0.0, the surfaces degenerate and can become flat surfaces. for production rendering, by default the software adjusts the tessellation of adjoining surfaces to match each other, in terms of the number of faces along the edges. The Merge parameter controls how this is done. If Merge is zero, adjoining faces are unchanged.
Advanced Surface Approximation Dialog Advanced Surface Approximation Dialog Modify panel > Select a NURBS surface object or surface sub-object. > Surface Approximation rollout > Tessellation Method group box > Turn off Lock to Top Level > Advanced Parameters button Select an editable mesh object. > Modify panel > Surface Properties rollout > Advanced Parameters button This dialog sets parameters that control the tessellation used in the Spatial, Curvature, and Spatial and Curvature approximation methods.
1246 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling into the NURBS model, and is especially useful for changing settings on multiple NURBS objects at once. It has two rollouts, one for surface approximation and the other for surface display controls. Surface Approximation Rollout (page 1–1246) Surface Display Rollout (page 1–1252) Procedure To use the Surface Approximation utility: 1. On the Utilities panel, click the More button, and choose Surface Approximation from the list. 2.
Surface Approximation Rollout Iso Parametric Lines group The controls in this group box affect the display of the NURBS surfaces in viewports. U Lines and V Lines—The number of lines used to approximate the NURBS surfaces in viewports, along the surface’s local U and V dimensions, respectively. Reducing these values can speed up the display of the surface, but reduce accuracy of the display. Increasing these values increases accuracy at the expense of time.
1248 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Distance=50.0 Renderer, Base Surface: Angle=50.0 Method=Spatial and Curvature Merge=0.0 Edge=10.0 Advanced Parameters > Minimum=0, Maximum=3 Distance=15.0 Renderer, Base Surface: Method=Spatial and Curvature Angle=10.0 Merge=0.01 Edge=20.0 Advanced Parameters > Minimum=0, Maximum=4 Distance=20.0 Renderer, Displaced Surface: Angle=15.0 Method=Spatial and Curvature Merge=0.01 Edge=10.0 Advanced Parameters > Minimum=0, Maximum=3 Distance=10.
Surface Approximation Rollout Method=Spatial and Curvature Edge=5.0 Distance=5.0 Angle=2.0 Merge=(Unavailable) Advanced Parameters > Minimum=0, Maximum=4 Save Tessellation Preset group Click a button to save the current Tessellation Method settings as a new Low, Medium, or High preset. These values are saved in the 3dsmax.ini file. Note: There is a separate Low, Medium, and High preset for Base Surface and Displaced Surface approximation.
1250 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling For example, if you convert a teapot to NURBS and set the U and V steps to 15, the Regular method generates 4470 faces but the Parametric method generates 204960 faces. Parametric mesh of the NURBS teapot Spatial—Generates a uniform tessellation made of triangular faces. The Edge parameter specifies the maximum length of a triangular face in the tessellation. The value is a percentage of the object’s bounding box.
Surface Approximation Rollout value is a percentage of the object’s bounding box. Decreasing this value increases accuracy but increases rendering time. When you set Edge to 0.0, the effect is equivalent to the Curvature method. The Distance parameter specifies how far the approximation can deviate from the actual NURBS surface. Distance is a percentage of the diagonal of each surface’s bounding box.
1252 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Set Selected—Applies the surface approximation values active in the utility to all selected NURBS objects. Reset—Resets the values in the utility to the default settings for a NURBS surface. lattice for an object’s curves but not its surfaces, or vice versa. Curves—When on, displays curves. Surfaces—When on, displays surfaces. Dependents—When on, displays dependent sub-objects.
Show Statistics a complex object as simple geometry when the object is at a distance from the camera. Show Statistics (page 1–1253) Level of Detail Utility (page 1–1253) Show Statistics Right-click a viewport label. > Show Statistics Keyboard > 7 You can quickly access various statistics related to your current selection and entire scene. Note: These statistics are relevant primarily to mesh and poly objects. Some statistics information might be unavailable with certain other types of object.
1254 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling and unhides the objects in the group, depending on their size in the rendered scene. The main purpose of this utility is to save time in rendering complex objects and in manipulating objects in the viewports. Since a portion of rendering speed is directly related to the number of faces that must be rendered in a scene, using the Level Of Detail utility lets you reduce the number of rendered faces as an object reduces its apparent size.
Level of Detail Utility 2. The tracks for all of the sub-objects in the Level Interface Of Detail object are now visible. 3. Open the hierarchy of each of the sub-objects, and then select each of their Visibility tracks. 4. On the Track View toolbar, click the Delete Controller button. 5. If you also want to remove the grouping, select the grouped objects, and then choose Explode in the Group menu. Level of Detail Set group Lets you create a new set, and add or remove objects from the current set.
1256 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling Add To Set—Adds an object to the Level of Detail set. You must first attach the object you want to add to the group object. To add an object to the set, use Align to center the object with the group object. Select the object you want to add, and then choose Attach from the Group menu, and then click the group object. Finally, click the Add to Set button, and then click the object you want added.
Level of Detail Utility Tip: You can use the Level of Detail utility to create objects that display very simple geometry in the viewports, while displaying complex geometry in the rendered scene. Create a grouped Level of Detail object consisting of only two objects, the complex object and the simple object. Select the simple object in the list window and, in the Thresholds are, set its Min Size and its Max Size to 0.
1258 Chapter 9: Surface Modeling
index Index Symbols & Numerics A 1-rail sweep surface 1–1204 2 3 4 links 2–1111, 2–1150 2 feet down 2–988, 2–997 2.
1260 Index ActiveShade 3–17 commands (quad menu) 3–22 floater 3–21 glossary 3–904 quick render 3–17 viewport 3–21 actual stride height 2–992, 2–995 actual stride length 2–992, 2–995, 2–997 actual stride width 2–992, 2–995, 2–997 adapt locks 2–871, 2–980, 3–905 adaptation 3–905 adapting keyframes to edits 2–871 keys to footstep edits 2–871 adaptive antialiaser dialogs 2–1533 to 2–1534 adaptive control 1–167, 1–828, 2–1534, 2–1698 adaptive degradation glossary 3–905 override 1–34 viewport configuration dial
Index after trajectory 2–944 age test 2–211 AI import dialog 3–524 airborne option 2–988, 2–995, 2–997 airborne periods 2–878, 3–906 aliasing/antialiasing alias against background 3–826 and supersampling 2–1459 fast adaptive 2–1533 filters 1–567, 3–38 glossary 3–907 multiresolution adaptive 2–1534 align 1–462 align geometry dialog (edit poly) 1–679 and pivot point 2–488 camera 1–468 dialog 1–462 editable mesh objects 1–1011 editable mesh vertices 1–1011 flyout 1–462 grid to view 2–35 keys (Track View) 2–55
1262 Index NURBS 1–1091 preferences settings 3–828 previewing animations after attaching Physique 2–1084 sample animations in this release 2–920 saving 3–476 selecting and moving tracks 2–886 show ghosting 1–46 tips (NURBS) 1–1099 toggle animation mode 2–278 utilities 2–653 with radiosity 3–60 animation controls 3–716 animation layer weight 2–325 to 2–326 animation layers 2–325 to 2–326, 2–333 to 2–334, 3–690 animation layers toolbar 3–690 animation menu 3–681 bone tools 1–411 constraints 2–371, 2–392 to
Index explode 1–110 open 1–109 using 1–98 assembly commands 1–107 assembly heads helper objects 1–111 assembly menu assemble 1–107 attach 1–111 detach 1–110 disassemble 1–110 explode 1–110 asset browser 3–504 internet download dialog 3–515 preferences 3–514 using 1–17 asset tracking dialog 3–487 icons 3–498 open from vault 3–389 asset tracking dialog 2–920, 3–487 asset tracking dialog icons 3–498 asset tracking prompts 3–498 assign controller (Track View) 2–546 controller rollout (motion panel) 3–774 mater
1264 Index AutoCAD DWG/DXF import options dialog 3–536 AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit working with 3–440 autodesk inventor files importing 3–552 Autodesk Vault 3–487 Autodesk VIZ files 3–525 autogrid 3–913 AutoGrid 2–7 automatic auto archive 3–819 auto backup 1–19, 3–819 auto secondary (lens effects) 3–238 auto termination (IK) 2–499 automatic exposure control 3–295 unit conversion 3–815 automatic mapping rollout rendering to texture 3–163 autoplay preview file 3–815 AVI files 3–168, 3–609 avoid
Index using 3–202 batch rendering completed 3–203 before trajectory 2–944 behavior assignments and teams dialog 2–1200 behavior rollout 2–1211 behaviors 2–1159, 3–915 avoid 2–1211, 3–913 fabric 1–579 obstacle-avoidance 2–1164, 3–983 orientation 2–1214, 3–985 patch-based 3–991 path follow 2–1216, 3–992 repel 2–1218, 3–1003 scripted 2–1220, 3–1008 seek 2–1220, 3–1008 space warp 2–1221, 3–1013 speed vary 2–1222, 3–1015 surface arrive 2–1223, 3–1018 surface follow 2–1226, 3–1019 wall repel 2–1227, 3–1033 wall
1266 Index biped rollout 2–936 bipeds and crowd simulation 2–1187 correcting posture 2–925 deleting 2–854 linking objects to 2–854 moving objects 2–890 posing 2–847 posing a biped 2–925 rotating objects 2–891 scaling after physique is applied 2–1099 visible in playback 2–944 bipeds dialog 2–643 birth event 3–916 birth operator 2–143 birth script operator 2–145 bitmap map 2–1631 bitmap pager 3–828 bitmap pager statistics dialog 3–514 bitmap proxies 3–32 bitmap proxies dialog 3–496 bitmap/photometric path e
Index material IDs 1–338 overlapping elements 1–338 surface topology 1–338 troubleshooting problems with 3–885 with maps and materials 1–338 bound vertex 1–297, 3–919 boundary conditions (and tendons) 2–1147 bounding box (and envelope creation) 2–1111 bounding box (glossary) 3–919 bounds (inner/outer) 2–1085 box BoxGizmo 3–304 standard primitive 1–171 box caustics filter 3–106 box method 2–1242 box selected render bounding box/selected dialog 3–16 branching events (particle flow) 2–123 break spline at sele
1268 Index orbit/pan camera 3–749 orbit/pan light 3–755 pan (Track View) 2–595 pan (user interface) 3–743 percent snap 2–38 perspective 3–747 pick material from object 2–1448 place highlight 1–467 play/stop 3–723 previous frame 3–723 quick align 1–465 quick render 3–17 quick render (Production) 3–17 render scene 3–12 roll camera 3–747 roll light 3–753 save sequence 3–324 scale keys 2–559, 2–580 scale values 2–581 select and link 2–422 select and manipulate 2–15 select and move 1–439 select and rotate 1–43
Index multi-pass parameters 2–1383, 2–1386 orbit/pan 2–1381, 3–749 placing 1–7 roll 3–747 setting lens size 2–1373 target 2–1371 truck 3–748 using clipping planes to exclude geometry 2–1379 using horizon to match perspective 2–1380 using move and rotate to aim 2–1379 using transforms to aim 2–1379 with target 2–1371 zoom 2–1381 candela 3–965 canopy mode 1–214 cap holes modifier 1–569 cap surface 1–1195 capsule 1–195 capture viewport 1–35 car paint material and shader 2–1576 car-wheel constraint 2–757 carto
1270 Index transition 2–1048 clip controllers 2–1179, 3–921 clip frame numbers motion mixer 2–615 clip mode 2–1027 clip properties dialog 2–1027, 2–1045, 2–1059 clipping planes 2–1373, 2–1379, 3–921 clips 2–1045 combining 2–1026 create 2–1027 looping with motion-capture filtering 2–1061 menu 2–632 move 2–1027 path 2–1041 ClipState dialog 2–1253 clone 1–476 clone and align tool 1–459 clone options dialog (particle flow) 2–132, 2–136 cloning 1–476 clone 1–476 materials 2–1432 objects 1–453, 1–474, 1–483 sha
Index color clipboard files 1–950 color clipboard utility 1–165 color coding 2–945 color controls 2–1485 color modifier maps 2–1692 color palette vertexpaint modifier 1–950 color RGB controller 2–317 color selector 1–161, 3–815 color space 3–1 colors assign random 1–161 biped IK/FK keys 2–1005 biped keys in Track View 2–947 biped trajectories 2–1005 footsteps 2–869 in Track View 2–944 vertex type 2–1089 colors panel (customize UI) 3–799 COM 2–933 COM/DCOM server control utility 3–792 combining animations 2
1272 Index configure communication center 3–713 Direct3D 3–844 driver 3–821, 3–840 key mode 3–725 modifier sets 3–772 OpenGL 3–841 presets (video post) 3–327 software display driver 3–840 system paths 3–810 time 3–725 track bar 3–703 user paths 3–808 utilities button sets 3–779 viewports 3–853 configure paths 3–808 configure preset dialog 3–33 configure system paths 3–810 plug-ins path configuration 3–814 configure user paths 3–808 bitmaps 3–189 external files 3–811 file i/o path configuration 3–810 FX fi
Index default settings 3–828 Euler XYZ rotation 2–318 expression 2–320 frame duration 2–502 general-purpose controllers 2–295 limit 2–335 linear 2–341 list 2–342 local euler XYZ rotation 2–344 look at 2–344 make unique 2–550 master point 2–346 morph 2–300 motion capture 2–347 noise 2–353 on/off 2–355 paste 2–545 point3 XYZ 2–317 position XYZ 2–356 properties 2–560 PRS 2–357 reaction 2–358 scale XYZ 2–371 script 2–372 slave 2–313 smooth rotation 2–374 specifying default 2–294 TCB 2–377 time duration 2–502 t
1274 Index copy time (Track View) 2–568 copy track (Track View) 2–568 joint parameters 2–495 materials 2–1409, 2–1432 modifiers 2–544 patch surface 1–968 presets 3–437 splines 1–308 transform keys 2–283 CPY files 2–1263 crash recovery 1–20 crease at link’s joint 2–1140 at parent’s joint 2–1140 create clip 2–1027, 2–1045 envelopes 2–1111 footsteps 2–988 keys for inactive footsteps 2–865, 2–990 layer 2–974 random motion 2–1035, 2–1055 script 2–1030, 2–1048 separate tracks for biped arms 2–980 shared motion
Index footsteps automatically 2–862 freeform animations 2–886 independent surfaces from NURBS curve objects 1–1114 individual footsteps 2–863 iso curve 1–1168 lathe surface 1–1190 linear arrays 1–487 mirror curve 1–1160 mirror surface 1–1187 models with NURBS 1–1094 multicurve trim surface 1–1214 multiple footsteps 2–862 multiple slices 1–1019 multisided blend surface 1–1213 normal projected curve 1–1169 NURBS curves from splines 1–1115 NURBS CV curve 1–1110 NURBS models 1–1079 NURBS point curve 1–1106 NUR
1276 Index geometry rollout 2–1240 global clip controller 2–1241 icon size 2–1240 object/delegate associations dialog 2–1196 priority rollout 2–1235 scatter objects dialog 2–1189 select behavior type dialog 2–1205 select delegates dialog 2–1205 set start frames dialog 2–1237 setup rollout 2–1188 smoothing rollout 2–1238 solve rollout 2–1232 state dialog 2–1207 state transition dialog 2–1208 crowd simulation avoid behavior 2–1211 cognitive controller 2–1206 solving 2–1168 crowd system 3–925 CS amplitude op
Index cylinder chamfer 1–192 CylGizmo 3–306 standard primitive 1–177 cylindrical area omni light 2–1298 D damper 1–396, 2–66 damping joint action 2–466 dashpots angular 2–732 linear 2–730 data files path for 3–813 data management asset tracking dialog 3–487 open from vault 3–389 daylight IES sky 2–1312 IES sun 2–1309 DDS files (glossary) 3–611 deactivate all maps 1–50 deactivate footsteps 2–865, 2–990 decay 2–1345 default controller settings 2–294, 3–828 controllers 2–294 heights 2–1 keyboard shortcuts 1–
1278 Index key 2–904, 2–956, 2–962 keys 2–554, 3–703 layers 2–974 maps 2–1413 material 2–1413 mesh modifier 1–626 operator (particle flow) 2–146 patch modifier 1–627 Schematic View 3–652 script 2–1030, 2–1048 selected keys (track bar) 3–703 spline modifier 1–627 tendons 2–1096 time (Track View) 2–567 Track View 2–598 transition 2–1051 transitions 2–1034 delete keys 2–502, 2–554 delete selected animation 3–698 delete time (Track View) 2–567 delete Track View 2–598 delete twist pose 2–950 delete UVW mapping
Index Direct3D driver 3–838, 3–843 to 3–844 Direct3D driver setup dialog 3–843 directional parameters 2–1348 directories for network rendering 3–187 mounting 3–188 sharing 3–188 DirectX 10 3–847 DirectX 9 shader material 2–1613 DirectX 9 shaders, FX file 3–946 DirectX shaders 2–1464, 2–1613 to 2–1614 disable layer 2–325 to 2–326 disable particle system 2–121 disabling playback 2–1084 disassemble 1–110 disc (circular) area light 2–1299 displace disp approx modifier (OSM) 1–628 displace mesh (world space) 1–
1280 Index pivot 1–251 sliding 1–251 dope sheet 2–501, 2–507, 2–1002 modes menu 2–521 toolbars 2–538 Dope Sheet editing footstep timing 2–869 DOS command-line rendering 3–211 double support 2–988, 2–992, 3–930 double-sided 3–901 double-sided material 2–1591 download options (asset browser) 3–515 drag and drop and copied/instanced maps 2–1451 and instanced objects 3–456 content from web pages 3–523 maps and materials 2–1423 modifier 1–499 sub-object material assignment 2–1424 with i-drop indicator 3–523 dr
Index layer event (video post) 3–337 lens effects filter (video post) 3–345 loop event (video post) 3–342 negative filter (video post) 3–345 normals 1–634 output image event (video post) 3–339 preset settings 3–438 pseudo alpha compositor (video post) 3–382 pseudo alpha filter (video post) 3–346 range bar (video post) 3–327 ranges (Track View) 2–573 scene event (video post) 3–329 simple additive compositor (video post) 3–383 simple wipe compositor (video post) 3–383 simple wipe filter (video post) 3–347 st
1282 Index edit wire 2–412 editable mesh 1–996, 3–932 aligning 1–1011 edge 1–1006 edit geometry rollout 1–1011 element 1–1009 exploding 1–1011 face 1–1009 object 1–1001 polygon 1–1009 selection rollout 1–999 vertex 1–1003 editable objects and edit modifiers 1–506 editable patch 1–968 attach 1–986 changing vertex type 1–986 deleting vertices 1–986 detach 1–986 edge 1–980 element 1–984 geometry rollout 1–986 handle 1–979 object 1–974 patch 1–981 vector 1–979 vertex 1–975 visibility of 1–989 editable poly 1–
Index glow lens effects 3–226 lens effects 3–223 manual secondary lens effects 3–242 merging from other files 3–220 ray lens effects 3–234 rings lens effects 3–230 star lens effects 3–246 streak lens effects 3–250 elements 3–933 of rendered textures 3–146 rendering 3–130 ellipse 1–274 email notification network rendering 3–196 rendering 3–33 emission rollout (particle view) 2–136 emit start/stop values, and frame rate 2–144 emitter (particle flow) 2–135, 3–933 empty flow operator 2–209 enable ease or multi
1284 Index expanding animation tracks 2–886, 2–888 expert mode 1–51 explicit axis keys 2–297, 2–357 explode assemblies 1–110 editable mesh objects/sub-objects 1–1011 explode angle threshold 1–1011 groups 1–106 objects into faces 2–105 particle system 2–68 splines 1–308 explode angle threshold 1–1011 exploding objects 2–68 explosion 2–68 explosions 2–120 export animation motion mixer 2–624 export selected (file menu) 3–486 exporting 3D DWF 3–555 3DS files 3–532 Adobe Illustrator files 3–534 animation 2–921
Index f-stop 3–90, 3–101 face - definition 3–936 face extrude modifier 1–682 face/edge thresholds (optimize modifier) 1–748 faces assigning to smoothing groups 1–1009 beveling and extruding 1–1011 creating 1–1011 dividing 1–1011 tessellating 1–1011 faceted (glossary) 3–937 facial animation 2–1100 facial expression 1–729 fade filter (video post) 3–344 fade in/out (lights) 2–1345 falloff 2–1111, 2–1130, 2–1136, 2–1338 falloff map 2–1670 glossary 3–954 light falloff 3–753 family elements from Revit 3–457 rend
1286 Index file output 3–266 file properties 3–500 file types BIP 2–920, 3–916 BVH 3–920, 3–969 CAL 2–1070 CSM 2–1065, 3–920, 3–925, 3–969 CWS 3–135 FIG 2–936, 2–1070 .
Index arc rotate 3–744 array 1–448 default tangent types 3–721 dolly camera/target 3–746 dolly light/target 3–751 field of view 3–741 flyout (glossary) 3–943 material ID channel 2–1444 orbit/pan light 3–755 quick render 3–17 select and scale 1–440 selection region 1–80 timing preferences 3–815 use center 1–445 zoom extents 3–740 zoom extents all 3–737 focus plane 3–90 fog VRML97 helper 3–600 fog environment effect 3–282 folder motion flow editor 2–1041 foliage 1–210, 1–214 follow object binding to 2–461 gl
1288 Index free lights direct 2–1293 linear 2–1307 spot 2–1290 free-form deformation (FFD) box 2–91 box/cyl modifier 1–685 cylinder 2–95 modifier 1–683 select modifier 1–689 freeform 2–999 animation 2–902 convert to 2–999 converting to footsteps 2–885 inserting period between footsteps 2–883 method 2–833 setting period in footstep animations 2–883 freeform animation 2–886, 2–1002, 3–945 freeform method 3–945 freeze freeze rollout (display panel) 1–54 freeze/unfreeze (glossary) 3–945 freezing/unfreezing ob
Index tracker 2–671 types of 3–304 using transform gizmos 1–426 gizmos rollout 1–791 global and local exclude/include dialog (for raytraced maps and materials) 2–1531 global clip 2–1179, 2–1246 global clip controller 2–1241, 3–950 global event (particle flow) 3–949 global illumination 3–51, 3–61, 3–93, 3–106, 3–940 global illumination (mental ray) 3–80 global lighting (rendered environment) 3–272 global motion clip 2–1179 global raytracer settings dialog 2–1528 global settings and defaults for bitmap proxi
1290 Index light attributes 2–1351 shadows 3–223 styling 1–526 styling rollout 1–526 hair and fur and lighting 1–519, 3–220 rendering options 3–221 hair and fur feature components 1–517 hair and fur modifier 1–516 animation 1–520, 1–540, 1–545 display rollout 1–549 dynamics 1–520, 1–540, 1–545 dynamics rollout 1–545 frizz animation 1–520, 1–540 frizz parameters rollout 1–540 general parameters rollout 1–534 growth objects 1–517 guide hairs 1–518, 1–526 instanced hair 1–523 kink parameters rollout 1–542 ma
Index hierarchy panel 3–773 commands 2–487 IK 2–491 link info rollouts 2–499 pivot 2–487 hierarchy right-click menu (Track View) 2–516 hierarchy window (Track View) placing selected objects 2–588 selecting by name 2–589 high dynamic range images 3–613, 3–621 high-resolution rendering 3–197 highlights anisotropic 2–1492 Blinn 2–1493 metal 2–1494 multi-layer 2–1495 Oren-Nayar-Blinn 2–1493 Phong 2–1493 specular color 3–1014 hinge constraint 2–747 hinge polygons from edge dialog 1–1073 history list 3–390, 3–50
1292 Index IK rollouts 2–491 auto termination 2–499 display options 2–458 IK solver rollout 2–453 inverse kinematics 2–497 object parameters 2–491 spline IK solver rollouts 2–478 IK solvers 2–440, 2–446, 2–453, 2–461, 2–472 illegal video colors 2–1434 illuminance 3–955 image alpha filter (video post) 3–344 image file formats 3–608 image file list IFL control dialog 3–618 IFL manager utility 3–619 image filter event (video post) 3–335 image input event (video post) 3–332 image input options (video post) 3–
Index instanced hair hair and fur modifier 1–523 instanced modifiers 1–511 instanced objects AutoCAD 3–456 rendering properties 3–457 instances 1–472 glossary 3–957 make unique 2–575, 2–577 of maps 2–1451 overview 1–472 propagating materials 2–1432 propagation 2–1432 shape instance operator (particle flow) 2–178 instances in motion mixer 3–958 integration steps (particle flow) 2–139 intensity (light) 2–1276, 2–1279 intensity mapping 2–1539 intensity/color/attenuation parameters 2–1345 intensity/color/distr
1294 Index jumping dynamics of 2–878 parameters 2–861 K KBD files 3–793, 3–804 keep apart operator 2–172 key filters 2–590, 3–718 key info Bezier controllers 2–310 key info rollouts 2–304, 2–306 master track key info dialog 2–391 key info rollout 2–954 key interpolation 2–833 key mode 3–724 key modes (links) 2–430 key reduction settings 2–1070 using motion-capture filtering 2–1061 key tangents toolbar 2–535 key tools toolbar 2–535 keyable icons 2–531 keyboard additional commands 3–669 creating primitives
Index layer properties dialog 3–662 select dialog 3–438 layers toolbar 3–688 add selection to current layer 3–667 create new layer 3–667 select objects in current layer 3–667 set current layer to selection’s layer 3–667 layout (viewports) 1–26, 3–856 layout menu (Schematic View) 3–643 layout mode glossary 3–961 leg link 2–984 leg states 2–867 legacy DWG import 3–547 length 2–990 transition editor 2–1051 lens effects 3–223 auto secondary 3–238 blur 3–260 brightness and contrast 3–265 color balance 3–265 dep
1296 Index free direct 2–1293 free linear 2–1307 free point 2–1304 free spotlight 2–1290 light falloff 3–753 light include/exclude tool 2–1283 light lister 2–1285 mental ray shadow maps 2–1360 mr sky 2–1318 mr sun 2–1319 name and color rollout 2–1273 omni 2–1295 orbit/pan 3–755 photometric lights 2–1301 placing 1–7 positioning 2–1282 properties of 2–1276 roll 3–753 standard 2–1288 target area 2–1307 target direct 2–1292 target linear 2–1305 target point 2–1303 target spotlight 2–1289 truck 3–755 types of
Index list views (Schematic View) 3–645 listener listener window (glossary) 3–963 MAXScript listener 3–781 load 2–1070 buffer only 2–1065, 2–1070 file option 2–936 marker name file 2–1065 .
1298 Index macros path for additional 3–813 MACUtilities 2–665 main toolbar 3–686 main window 1–9 make absolute 3–809 make controller/object unique (Track View) 2–550 make curve on surface dialog 1–1226 make loft dialog 1–1234 make material copy 2–1442 make point curve dialog 1–1235 make point dialog 1–1235 make preview 2–1434, 3–168 make relative 3–809 make selected same size (video post) 3–328 make unique 1–504, 1–511, 2–577, 3–770 Material Editor 2–1442 particle view 2–127, 2–133 manage scene states 3–
Index marble 2–1673 mask 2–1689 mental ray shaders 2–1712 mix 2–1689 noise 2–1674 normal bump 2–1731, 3–150 ”other” (in the material/map browser) 2–1695, 2–1698 to 2–1699, 2–1703, 2–1711 to 2–1714, 2–1716 to 2–1717, 2–1719, 2–1721 to 2–1724, 2–1728 to 2–1732 output 2–1692 particle age 2–1675 particle MBlur 2–1676 Perlin marble 2–1677 planet 2–1678 procedural 3–997 projected 2–1341 raytrace 2–1698 reflect/refract 2–1699 reflection and refraction 2–1695 RGB multiply 2–1691 RGB tint 2–1693 show in viewport 2–
1300 Index applying in particle flow 2–186 applying to an object 2–1405 applying to objects 2–1409 arch & design (mental ray) 2–1549 architectural 2–1535 Architectural Desktop 3–446 assign to selection 2–1441 assigning 3–445, 3–454 AutoCAD Architecture 3–445 blend 2–1588 blocks 3–458 car paint (mental ray) 2–1576 changing 3–446, 3–454 combined when attaching objects/splines 1–295, 1–1011 components 2–1399 composite 2–1589 compound materials 2–1587 copying 2–1409 default material settings 2–1442 deleting 2
Index memory management 3–514 memory use 3–129 mental ray add/edit DBR host dialog 3–128 arch & design material 2–1549, 2–1562, 2–1569 car paint material and shader 2–1576 DGS material 2–1580 distributed bucket rendering 3–128 distributed bucket rendering rollout 3–124 glass material 2–1582 material 2–1544 object properties 1–126 satellite processors 3–128 satellites 3–124 subsurface scattering materials 2–1583 mental ray Connection rollout 2–1461 mental ray indirect illumination rollout 2–1343 mental ray
1302 Index skin wrap modifier 1–818 skin wrap patch modifier 1–824 turbosmooth modifier 1–868 working with mesh sub-objects 1–998 mesh - definition 3–972 mesh conversion 2–206 mesh density, and cloth 1–577 mesh editing 1–935 mesh object (as Physique skin) 2–1076 mesh size (reducing) 2–1099 mesher object 1–374 meshing parameters rollout (radiosity) 3–67 meshsmooth modifier 1–722 MeshSmooth modifier and cloth 1–576 meshsmooth selection dialog 1–1074 messages 3–124 meta-operators cache 2–197 metaballs 1–331,
Index and set key 2–281 and transforms 1–499 attribute holder 1–559 bend 1–560 bevel 1–562 bevel profile 1–565 camera correction 2–1392 camera map 1–513, 1–567 cap holes 1–569 cloth 1–578 conversion 1–871, 1–873 to 1–874 CrossSection 1–623 delete mesh 1–626 delete patch 1–627 delete spline 1–627 displace 1–629 displace mesh (world space) 1–514 displace NURBS (world space) 1–515 edit mesh 1–634 edit normals 1–634 edit patch 1–638 edit poly modifier 1–640 edit spline 1–680 extrude 1–680 face extrude 1–682 FF
1304 Index UVW mapping paste 1–934 UVW Xform 3–447, 3–455 UVW XForm 1–934 vertexpaint 1–936 volume select 1–952 wave 1–957 world space 1–512 WSM 1–512 XForm 1–959 modifiers menu 3–678 animation modifiers 1–557, 1–712, 1–754 to 1–755, 1–848 cache tools 1–758 free-form deformers 1–683, 1–685 mesh editing 1–569, 1–626, 1–634, 1–680, 1–682, 1–746, 1–748, 1–828, 1–834, 1–861, 1–865, 1–935 to 1–936 nurbs editing 1–557, 1–628, 1–848, 1–1101 parametric deformers 1–557, 1–560, 1–629, 1–709, 1–728, 1–743, 1–766, 1–
Index cloning clips 2–611 compare with motion flow 2–604 editor 2–646 export animation 2–624 filtering biped parts 2–645 how to use 2–604 importing clips 2–609 menus 2–629 moving clips 2–611 optimize transition 2–641 preferences 2–651 replacing clips 2–611 reservoir 2–649 toolbar 2–642 trackgroups 2–612 transitions 2–616 user interface 2–628 weight curve 2–619 motion panel 2–301, 2–303 to 2–304, 2–306, 2–463, 2–933, 3–774 motion parameters rollout 2–1183 motion synthesis 2–1172, 3–977 global clip controlle
1306 Index naming materials 2–1409 natural light 2–1280 navigating 3D space 1–21 blocks 3–460 camera and light views 1–33 hierarchies 2–416, 2–425 rendered panorama 3–173 viewports 3–735 navigating the workbench 2–1010 navigator (material/map) 2–1447 NavInfo (VRML97 helpers) 3–599 neck link 2–984 negative filter (video post) 3–345 nested expressions (HTML help viewer) 3–876 net render control (common parameters rollout) 3–79 network working folder 3–487 network plug-in configuration 3–814 network renderin
Index numbers of links that can affect a vertex 2–834 show/hide all 2–944 numeric calculator 1–12 numerical expression evaluator 1–12 NURBS 2–834 and animation 1–1091 and modifiers 1–1089 animation tips 1–1099 blend curve 1–1158 blend surface 1–1183 cap surface 1–1195 chamfer curve 1–1161 concepts 1–1091 creating models 1–1094 curve approximation 1–1238 curve fit 1–1157 curve point 1–1220 curve sub-objects 1–1135 CV curve 1–1110 CV surface 1–1103 definition 1–1091 extrude surface 1–1188 fixing problems wit
1308 Index objects 1–153, 2–960, 2–1282 aligning 2–8 arraying 1–484 binding 2–461 color 1–159 combining 1–338, 1–378, 1–388 copies/instances/references 1–472 creating 1–157 exporting 3–486 freezing and unfreezing 1–70 glossary 3–981 make controller unique (Track View) 2–550 modeling 1–5 modifying multiple objects 1–509 object properties 1–117 select and manipulate 2–15 select and move 1–439 select and rotate 1–439 to 1–440 selecting 1–61, 1–77 selecting by material 2–1439 techniques for cloning 1–474 usin
Index optimize motion flow 2–1058 motion mixer 2–641 transition 2–641, 2–1058 optimize modifier 1–748 optimize transition transition editor 2–1051 optimizing performance (particle flow) 2–120 options 3–828 grid and snap 2–46 Material Editor 2–1436 rendering 3–826 viewports 3–821 options menu Track View 2–526 options menu (particle view) 2–130 options menus (Schematic View) 3–644 to 3–645 orbit/pan camera 2–1381, 3–749 light 3–755 Oren-Nayar-Blinn basic parameters rollout 2–1482 Oren-Nayar-Blinn highlights
1310 Index parameter editor 1–129 parameter space (glossary) 3–988 parameter wiring 1–104, 2–411 to 2–412 parameters custom attributes 1–129 HD Solver 2–491 notes 1–145 parameter collector 1–138 parameter collector menu bar 1–142 parameter editor 1–129 wiring 2–411 parameters panel (particle view) display of 2–129 glossary 3–988 parameters rollout 1–791 parametric (glossary) 3–989 parametric stride length 2–992, 2–995, 2–997 parametric stride width 2–992, 2–995, 2–997 parent overlap 2–1130 PArray 2–256, 2
Index particle motion blur 2–240 particle spawn rollout (PArray) 2–271 particle type rollout (PArray) 2–262 positioning 2–147 to 2–148 rendered as 2–206 rotation 2–153 scaling 2–156 size 2–176 spawn particles 3–1014 speed 2–123, 2–159, 2–162, 2–167, 2–172 spinning 2–154 synchronize animated bitmap textures 2–121 testing particle scale 2–227 unexpected spawning 2–122 viewport display 2–202 PASS file mental ray renderer 3–990 paste 2–1141, 2–1147 a material, map, bitmap, or color 2–1418 paste controller (Tra
1312 Index mr sky light 2–1318 mr sun light 2–1319 photometric webs 2–1326 preset lights 2–1302 target area light 2–1307 target linear light 2–1305 target point light 2–1303 web 2–1326 web parameters 2–1355 photometry 3–993 photon map 3–994 photon maps 3–93, 3–106 photorealistic renderer 3–38 PHY files 2–1098, 2–1106, 2–1263, 3–994 physical scale 3–295 to 3–297, 3–300 physique 2–834, 2–1080, 2–1083, 3–994 and changing geometry 2–1104 and FFDs 2–1104 and groups 2–1083 and other modifiers 2–1104 applying 2–
Index point surface 1–1102 glossary 3–996 sub-object 1–1181 point-path constraint 2–762 point-point constraint 2–750 point3 XYZ controller 2–317 polar snapping mode 2–39 poly select modifier 1–762 polygon - definition 3–936 polygon count 1–1253, 3–861 polyhedra 1–187 POmniFlect space warp 2–78 ponytails 2–984 pose copying and pasting 2–966 pose adjustment 2–1070 poses 3–996 adding 2–1096 copying between bipeds 2–910 reference 2–1076 posing bipeds 2–847 position changing 1–423 ranges (Track View) 2–574 posi
1314 Index priority rollout 2–1235 prism 1–205 prismatic constraint 2–754 PRJ files 3–531, 3–902 problems 3–883 problems caused by unit settings 3–891 ProBoolean 1–378 procedural maps dent 2–1667 glossary 3–997 wood 2–1684 procedures 2–1264 process options rollout 3–124 processing panel mental ray 3–86 processing parameters rollout (radiosity) 3–64 ProCutter 1–388 production render 3–17 productivity 2–833 profile 2–1141 profile view 2–1114 program window 1–9 progressive morphing 1–737 project file format
Index quadtree 3–999 quaternion rotation 2–916, 2–948 quaternion/tcb 2–916 quaternions 2–318 queue video post 3–312 queue manager 3–999 queue monitor client (glossary) 3–999 quick align 1–465 quick render ActiveShade 3–17 flyout 3–17 production 3–17 quick start (batch rendering) 3–201 quickslice 1–676, 1–1058 QuickTime movies 3–621 R radial dialogs density 3–256 falloff 3–257 size 3–259 radial scale 2–1130, 2–1136 parameters (links) 2–1091 radiance file format 3–613 radiance map 3–613 radiance picture fil
1316 Index reactor analyze world 2–813 angular dashpot 2–732 car-wheel constraint 2–757 cloth 2–778 cloth collection 2–781 cloth modifier 2–778 collisions rollout 2–810 compound rigid bodies 2–722 constraint solver 2–736 constraints 2–724 cooperative constraints 2–735 create animation 2–806 deformable bodies 2–777 deformable constraints 2–795 deforming mesh collection 2–794 deforming meshes 2–793 display rollout 2–812 FFD soft bodies 2–786 fracture 2–770 frequently asked questions 2–821 gravity 2–808 hing
Index refine editable spline segments 1–303 editable spline vertices 1–297 glossary 3–1002 refining curves and surfaces (concept) 1–1091 reflect/refract map 2–1699, 3–83 reflectance display 2–1430 reflection maps 2–1508, 2–1695 reflections 3–88 refraction maps 2–1509, 2–1695 refractions 3–88 refresh content communication center 3–715 refresh viewport display 1–50 regathering 3–61 region 1–65 selection 1–65, 1–80, 1–89 to 1–91 selection method (edit menu) 1–92 selection preferences 3–860 zoom region (partic
1318 Index elements separately 3–137 email notification 3–33 large images 3–828 on multiprocessor systems 3–828 portions of scene 2–1379 preferences settings 3–826 presets 3–23 reactor toolbar 3–688 render farms 3–180 render operator (particle flow) 2–206 rendering method 3–853 scene 1–9 shapes 1–262 to texture 3–144, 3–146, 3–150 with caustics (mental ray) 3–80 with global illumination (mental ray) 3–80 with motion blur 3–89 with shadow maps 3–89 rendering algorithms rollout 3–116 rendering commands rend
Index tint 2–1693 right-click menus 3–694 additional quad menus 3–696 animation 3–697 customize display 3–787 display option 3–821 display preference setting 3–821 event display (particle view) 2–133 HTML help viewer 3–879 material editor copy and paste 2–1418 modifier stack 3–766 morpher modifier 1–729 named selection sets 1–85 NURBS 1–1082 sample slot 2–1422 Schematic View selection 3–653 snaps 2–41 spinner 2–282 Track View 2–516, 2–534 Track View toolbar 2–603 viewports 3–731 XRef entities list (XRef ob
1320 Index sample range (glossary) 3–1004 sample rate 3–98 sample slot 2–1420, 2–1422 active 2–1441 adding bitmap 2–1631 and material name 2–1396 background 2–1433 backlight 2–1432 cool 2–1442 default 2–1442 display adjustment 2–1436 hot 2–1442 right-click menu 2–1422 sample type cube 2–1432 cylinder 2–1432 sphere 2–1432 sample UV tiling 2–1433 samples animations 2–920 motion files 2–920 samples threshold (motion capture) 2–655 sampling 3–1005 filters 3–98 sampling quality rollout 3–98 thresholds 3–98 sat
Index scene motion blur (glossary) 3–1007 scene state camera properties 3–518 camera transforms 3–518 delete 3–520 environment 3–518 layer assignments 3–518 layer properties 3–518 light properties 3–518 light transforms 3–518 materials 3–518 object properties 3–518 rename 3–520 restore 3–520 save 3–520 selected parts 3–518 scenegraph 3–581 scenes 1–4 animating 1–8 archiving 1–19 backing up 1–19 importing 1–16 managing 3–385 merging 1–16 rendering 1–9 replacing 1–16 Schematic View delete Schematic View 3–65
1322 Index by link 2–1089, 2–1150 clip/transition 2–1027, 2–1045 multiple biped links 2–895 nearest bulge angle 2–1095, 2–1114, 2–1141 select all (edit menu) 1–87 select and link button 2–422 select and manipulate 2–15 select background image dialog 1–42 select bitmap image file dialog 2–1635 select invert (edit menu) 1–88 select keys by time (Track View) 2–563 select layers dialog 3–438 select linked objects dialog 3–440 select none (edit menu) 1–88 select object (main toolbar) 1–77 select objects dialog
Index self-illumination 2–1480 to 2–1482, 2–1487 self-illumination (glossary) 3–1009 self-illumination mapping 2–1502 send out test 2–230 separate tracks options 2–888, 2–980, 2–1002 separating particles 2–172 server setup and managing (network rendering) 3–182 set all 2–1070 set as skin pose 1–116 set bulge angle 2–1114, 2–1141 set current layer to selection’s layer 3–667 set free key 2–956 set key 2–280, 2–904, 2–956, 2–962, 3–718 set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 2–936 set multiple keys 2–965 set p
1324 Index shortcuts 3–871 Biped 2–1006 Crowd 2–1182 particle flow 2–140 Physique 2–1111 shortcuts - default keyboard Track View 2–510 unwrap UVW 1–900 show show curves button 3–705 show dependencies (views menu) 1–47 show end result (Material Editor) 2–1446 show end result (modifier stack) 1–503 show frame numbers (viewports preference) 3–821 show ghosting (views menu) 1–46 show home grid (views menu) 2–34 show key times (views menu) 1–46 show last rendering (rendering menu) 3–25 show map in viewport (Ma
Index slider manipulator 2–31 slider, time/frame 3–701 sliding 2–1136 angle 2–1070 distance 2–1070 footsteps 2–1064, 3–1013 parameters (links) 2–1091 sliding and rotational joints (HI IK solver) 2–459 sliding angle 2–1070 sliding distance 2–1070 sliding door 1–251 sliding joints 2–485 to 2–486, 2–496 sliding key defaults 2–956 sliding window 1–261 smart scale 1–440 smart select 1–77, 1–80 smoke map 2–1679 smooth 2–1111 smooth modifier 1–828 smooth rotation controller 2–374 smooth twist mode 2–952 smoothing
1326 Index spawning particles 2–215, 2–230, 3–1014 special controls 1–12 special-purpose controllers 2–296 specification 3–597, 3–954 specify conversion parameters once option 2–1075 specify parameters for each file option 2–1075 specifying default controller values 2–294 default controllers 2–294 reference coordinate system 1–435 speckle map 2–1680 specular color 3–1014 color mapping 2–1500 level mapping 2–1501 specular highlight 2–1481 specular highlights anisotropic 2–1492 Blinn 2–1493 metal 2–1494 mul
Index spiral 1–235 straight 1–239 u-type 1–243 standard flow operator 2–209 standard helpers 2–16 compass 2–27 dummy 2–16 expose transform 2–17 exposetm 2–17 grid 2–20 point 2–23 protractor 2–26 tape 2–24 standard lights 2–1272, 2–1288 skylight 2–1296 standard material 2–1465 standard materials shaders (glossary) 3–1010 standard primitives 1–170 box 1–171 cone 1–172 cylinder 1–177 GeoSphere 1–176 plane 1–185 pyramid 1–182 sphere 1–174 teapot 1–183 torus 1–180 tube 1–179 standard snaps 2–11 standard user gr
1328 Index propagation 2–1432 styling hair hair and fur modifier 1–518, 1–526 styling rollout hair and fur modifier 1–526 sub-materials 3–815 sub-object chamfer curve (NURBS) 1–1161 common controls 1–1122 glossary 3–1017 material assignment 2–1424 selection 1–74, 1–506, 1–508, 1–998, 1–1084 sub-objects Physique 2–1129 subanim controller 2–896 subdivide 1–986, 1–1011, 1–1019 subdivide modifier 1–839 subdivide modifier (world space) 1–555 subdivision displacement rollout editable poly 1–1063 subdivision sur
Index taper modifier 1–863 targa files (glossary) 3–633, 3–997 target and particles 2–218 camera 3–746 lights 2–1289, 2–1292, 2–1303 to 2–1305, 2–1307 target area light 2–1307 target camera 2–1371 target distance 3–90 target linear light 2–1305 target map slot 3–150 target objects - look at controller 2–344 target point light 2–1303 TCB 2–957 controllers 2–377 glossary 3–1020 TCB (biped) 3–1019 tcb rotation controller 2–891 teapot 1–183 techniques cloning objects 1–474 NURBS 1–1094 tee 1–287 teeter deforma
1330 Index and HD IK solver 2–463 color 2–1681 to 2–1682 edge visibility 1–1006 error (camera tracker) 2–677 explode angle 1–1011 LOD 1–1253 motion capture samples 2–655 noise 2–1650, 2–1652, 2–1674, 3–282, 3–288 optimize 1–748 planar 1–719, 1–996 position/rotation (IK) 2–463 reduce keys 2–572 safe video 2–1434 sound 2–386 super black 3–826 supersampling 2–1459 use secondary (IK) 3–830 weld 1–297, 1–842, 1–888, 1–920, 1–1011, 3–542, 3–586 thumbnails open file 3–387 viewport image 3–819 ticks (glossary) 3–
Index displaying toolbars 3–787 dope sheet 2–538 extras 3–688 extras dope sheet toolbar 2–541 HTML help viewer 3–878 icon scheme 3–806 layers 3–688 main 3–686 ranges toolbar 2–541 reactor 2–706, 3–688 render shortcuts 3–689 Schematic View 3–649 snaps 3–690 toolbars panel (customize UI) 3–794 troubleshooting when missing 3–893 video post 3–323 toolbox (NURBS) 1–1083 tools for low-polygon modeling 1–1252 Material Editor 2–1427 precision 2–1 rename objects 1–128 tools menu 3–674 align 1–462 align camera 1–468
1332 Index ranges toolbar 2–541 selecting with 1–69 shortcuts 2–510 sound options 2–520 status bar/view controls 2–588 time menu 2–526 tracks menu 2–524 utilities 2–561 to 2–564 utilities menu 2–533 value display 2–594 view menu 2–532 working with 2–503 workspace 2–504 zoom 2–596 zoom horizontal extents 2–595 zoom region 2–597 zoom selected object 2–588 zoom value extents 2–596 Track View utilities current value editor 2–565 tracker gizmo 2–671 trackgroup filter 2–645 trackgroup filter dialog 2–631, 2–645
Index translucency 2–1491, 2–1538 glossary 3–1027 translucent highlights 2–1496 translucent shader 2–1484 transmittance display 2–1430 transparency 2–1537 TRC convert into CSM 2–665, 3–577 importing 3–577 tri patch 1–995 triangle count 1–1253, 3–861 triangle pelvis 2–984 and physique 2–846 trigonometric functions 1–150 trim clips motion mixer 2–615 trim overlapping segments 1–308 trim/extend modifier 1–866 troubleshooting 3–883 assertion failed errors 3–883 basic troubleshooting start point 3–896 Boolean o
1334 Index unhide all 2–1150 unified motion create 2–1038 uniform scale 1–441 unify normals 1–166, 3–429 units and display of mouse position 3–709 automatic unit conversion 3–387 file load units mismatch 3–852 mismatch 3–852 setup 3–848 synchronizing between programs 3–422 system setup 3–850 troubleshooting problems with 3–891 unit scale preference 3–815 using 2–2 universal deflector 2–89 universal naming convention (UNC) 3–1028 unlink selection 2–422 unlock character 1–115 unlock assignments 2–1150 unloc
Index select by name 1–67 selection filters 1–68 shapes 1–262 shift+clone 1–478 spawned particles 2–242 standard view navigation 1–29 transform gizmos 1–426 transforms 1–424 transforms to aim a camera 2–1379 units 2–2 using crowds behaviors 2–1162 crowd helper 2–1157 delegate helper 2–1157 using props 2–898 using the track sets list 2–590 utilities animation 2–653 asset browser 3–504 assign vertex colors 2–1734 camera match 2–1387 camera tracker 2–667 channel info 2–1738 clean multimaterial 2–1742 collapse
1336 Index vertex 2–1089 operations 2–1150 settings 2–1111, 2–1113 vertex sub-object 2–1150 vertex - definition 3–1030 vertex alpha 1–938 vertex color 1–936 rendering 2–1693 vertex color map 2–1693 vertex count 1–1253, 3–861 vertex display size 3–822 vertex illumination 1–938 vertex normals (scaling) 1–996 vertex to link assignment initialization 2–1123 vertex type 1–975 vertex weld modifier 1–935 vertex-link assignments 2–1111, 2–1113 vertexpaint modifier 1–936 adjust color dialog 1–949 brush options 1–9
Index lens effects filters 3–345 lens effects gradient colors 3–381 lens effects gradient options 3–378 lens effects gradient types 3–379 make an object glow 3–315 make same size 3–328 manual secondary flare parameters 3–357 negative filter 3–345 new sequence 3–323 open sequence 3–323 pseudo alpha compositor 3–382 pseudo alpha filter 3–346 queue 3–312 render in reverse 3–315 resize images 3–315 save sequence 3–324 simple additive compositor 3–383 simple cross fade 3–315 simple wipe compositor 3–383 simple
1338 Index viewport navigation walkthrough 1–30, 3–738 viewport properties menu 3–731 viewport renderer (glossary) 3–1030 viewport rendering 3–853 viewport shaders 2–1464 lightmap 2–1614 metal bump 2–1614 viewport shading 3–853 viewports 1–22, 3–729 and display of modifier effect 3–760 arc rotate snap angle preference 3–821 background 1–38 configuring 3–853 controlling rendering 1–27 create snapshot of 1–35 DirectX manager rollout 2–1464 general concepts 1–22 grab 1–35 layout 3–856 navigating 3–735 prefer
Index water 2–801 rendering 2–803 space warp 2–801 wave wave modifier 1–957 waveform controller 2–381 wave space warp 2–100 wavefront files (obj, mtl) 3–588 Wavefront material files 3–590 Wavefront object files 3–589 waves map 2–1683 web distribution 2–1325 to 2–1326 web distribution (photometric lights) 2–1355 web parameters rollout 2–1355 web site getting content from 3–504 weight 2–1114, 2–1141, 2–1150 assignments (Skin modifier) 1–807 assignments (vertex) 2–1092 vertices (Skin modifier) 1–791 weight ta
1340 Index MapScaler 1–551 PatchDeform 1–552 PathDeform 1–552 subdivide 1–555 surface mapper 1–556 SurfDeform 1–557 world-space tripod 3–729 wrap cursor near spinner 3–815 wrectangle 1–284 WSM modifier 1–512, 1–550 camera map 1–513 displace mesh 1–514 displace NURBS 1–515 MapScaler 1–551 PatchDeform 1–552 PathDeform 1–552 subdivide 1–555 surface mapper 1–556 SurfDeform 1–557 X XAF files 3–472 adding to motion mixer 2–609 adjust time in motion mixer 2–615 adjusting in motion mixer 2–611 combining with mix
