9

Geometric Primitives 169
Selecting Faces by Smoothing Gr oup
You can also select faces according to the assigned
smoothing groups. Click Selec t By SG on the
SurfacePropertiesrollout(editablemesh)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.
Cre at in g G eo m e tric
Primitives
Geometric primitives are basic shapes that
3ds Max provides as parametric objects (page
3–989). Primitives are divided into two categories:
Standard Primitives (page 1–170)
Extended Pr imitives (page 1–186)
See also
Basics of Crea ting and M odifying Objects (page
1–153)
Creating an Ob ject (page 1–157)
Creating Primitives from the Keyboard (page 1–169)
Creating Primitives from the
Keyboard
Create panel > Geometry > Standard or Extended
Primitives > Keyboard Entry rollou t
You can create most geometric primitives from
your keyb oard using the Keyboard Entry rollout.
In a single operation, you define both the initial
size of an object and its three-dimensional
position. The object’s name, color, and default
material (optional), are automatically assigned.
See Object Name and Wiref rame Color (page
3–757).
This method is generally the same for all
primitives; differences occur in the type and
number of parameters. The Hedra primitive, a
complex and highly visual family of objects, is
unsuited to this method and has no ke yboard
entry.
Procedures
To open the Key boar d Entry rol lout:
1.
On the Create panel for Standard or Extended
Primitives, click any of the primitive Object
Typerolloutbuttons,exceptHedraor
RingWave.
2. Click the Keyboard Entry rollout to open it.
This rollout is closed by default.
Note: ThebuttonsontheCreationMethod
rollout have no effect on keyboard entry.
To create a pr imitive f rom the k ey board:
1.
On the Keyboard Entry rollout, select a numeric
field with the mouse and t hen enter a number.
2. Press Ta b to mov e to the next field. You do
not have to press
Enter after entering a value.
Press
Shi f t +Tab to reverse direction.
3. When you have a ll fields set, press Ta b to move
thefocustotheCreatebutton.Press
Enter .
4. Theobjectappearsintheactiveviewport.
Once created, a new primitive is unaffected by the
numeric fields in the Keyboard Entry rollout. You
can adjust parameter values on the Parameters
rollout, either immediately af ter creation or on the
Modify panel.