Software Capabilities
3ds max 6 gives users the ability to construct digital three-dimensional models and, by applying lighting, materials and other features enabled by the program, to create photorealistic renderings and animations of the 3D objects.
Additionally, 3ds max supports the use of other file types that can be in the form of image maps, plug-ins, pre-built models from other programs such as AutoCAD, and rendering images and animations.
The software has a range of applications in industries such as building and industrial design, where accurate digital simulations have widely replaced physical mock-ups for testing and visualization purposes, as well as in the entertainment industry for creating and animating fantasy environments and characters.
Operations
There are six primary operations that you might exercise through 3ds max, and through a combination of these achieve realistic simulations.
Modeling
Materials Editing
Lighting
Camera Manipulation
Animation
RenderingModeling tools allow you to create 3D geometric primitives from scratch or to loft or extrude pre-drawn 2D shapes.You can convert an object to an editable surface which can then be edited for precision. Through the modifier tools, you can further refine the geometry of objects you create. Modeling is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Modeling.
Materials Editing provides a sophisticated range of controls through which you can manipulate the surfaces of objects, by adding texture maps and changing such behavioral qualities of materials as reflectivity, opacity, specular color and highlight, self-illumination and so on. Materials Editing is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Materials Editing.
Lighting tools allow you to create either standard or photometric lights which can be assigned qualities that enable them to cast shadows, project images or to manipulate atmospheric lighting effects. Lighting is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Lighting.
Cameras can be introduced into the scene which have real-world controls so that you can manipulate static controls like lens length and field of view, and use motion controls such as truck, dolly or pan. Camera views can be saved so that you can always return to them after panning or zooming in the viewport. Cameras are covered in more detail in the Introduction to Cameras.
Animation adds the fourth dimension of time to your project, so that any transformation in position, geometry, surface material or lighting can be recorded relative to a timeline to create movies. Existing movies can also be incorporated into your project as a background for animated objects that you create with 3ds max. Animation is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Animation.
Rendering adds color and shading to your scene, creating either physically accurate simulations of the effects of light on material space or approximations of these effects, depending on the lighting solution used. Rendering is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Rendering.
3ds max 6 interface
The 3ds max 6 application window opens with a new scene file or workfile. Opening a new scene is equivalent to opening a new document in Microsoft Word.
Each application window can accomodate only one scene file. However, depending on the amount of RAM on your computer, more than one applicaton window may be open at any time, each with a different scene file.
The default workspace is arranged as shown below in figure 2.1. You can reconfigure the standard settings through the Customize menu in the main menu where UI (user interface) preference settings are located. You can also change the standard viewport layout through the Configuration option, which will we will get to later.
figure 2.1 The standard 3ds max 6 workspace layout
As you can see, the standard workspace layout contains several zones. At the top are the main menuand the main toolbar. On the left-most side is a reactor toolbar which contains advanced tools. At the far right is the command panel where tools for creating and modifying objects are located. Some of these commands can also be executed through the main menu. A timeline or trackbar and other animation controls are included in a bar at the bottom.
The central workspace consists of four viewports each of which contains a different view of the scene.Viewport navigation controls such as zoom or pan tools are located at the lower right corner of the workspace. The use of multiple viewports is essential in 3D modeling, to ensure that relationships between objects in the scene remain accurate in all three dimensions whenever you perform any transformation.
Units
| Main Menu > Customize > Units SetupMain |
figure 3.1 Accessing the Units Setup dialog
The System Unit setting affects the interpretation by the software of distance information. It also controls rounding off precision. Generally, you would need to change the system unit setting only when the scene is very large or very small. To preserve absolute size of an imported object, make sure thatRespect System Units in Files is turned on.
The Display Unit setting affects how the distance information is displayed in the viewports. It is important to specify display units if you intend to merge scenes or objects, or use Xref objects.
Grid Settings
| Main Menu > Customize > Grid and Snap Settings |
Grids provide an immediate aid in visualizing scale. They are construction planes to which objects in the scene can be easily aligned. They also provide reference points for using grid snaps.
The Home Grid is the default grid that consists of three planes on the world coordinate axes. Construction occurs relative to these planes. You can change such things as the grid spacing and major and minor gridlines in the Home Grid Tab.
| Main Menu > Customize > Grid and Snap Settings > Home Grid Tab |
Occasionally you might want to align objects with a plane or object face that is not easily referenced by the home grid. In this case, you can use the Auto Grid feature or create a Grid Object which we will attempt in a later exercise. When active, a grid object or an auto grid which is made permanent will deactivate the home grid.
To reactivate the home grid:
| Main Menu > Views > Grids > Activate Home Grid |
To show or hide the grid in any viewport:
| right-click on the viewport label > Show Grid / Hide Grid |
Customizing the Viewport Layout
| right click on the viewport label > Configure > Layout Tab > choose desired viewport layout |
As you use the program more you may develop a preference for viewport arrangement which is different from the standard arrangement.
figure 3.2 Viewport Configuration options
Basic Tools
Once you�ve set up the application interface, you are ready to model within the scene. Before you begin, you will need to know how to navigate the scene and select objects. This section, in addition will discuss some other tools that will make certain tasks easier, such as the align tools, snaps and grouping. This section is intended as an overview and also as an ongoing reference.
Viewport Activation and Options
Because there are multiple viewports, you will always have to first select the viewport through which you would like to perform any change within the scene. The choice of viewport would depend on the ease with which you can achieve the change in each of the different views. For instance, to perform a translation of an object along the xy-plane, you may want to work in the Top viewport. To assign a material to an object, perhaps you would choose the Perspective viewport where the selected shading option is Smooth and Highlights.
To activate a viewport:
| right-click anywhere within the viewport except on the viewport label |
You will notice that the active viewport is bounded by a yellow highlighted border. Left-clicking also activates a viewport but will deselect any objects that are selected at the time.
There are several options that you can access through the viewport menu, such as toggling between shading modes, changing the view of the viewport and, as we saw before, hiding or showing the grid and changing the viewport layout itself.
To access the viewport menu:
| right-click on the viewport label |
figure 4.1 Viewport Label Menu
Wireframe is the shading mode that appears as a skeleton of the object and is usually the default viewing mode for the Top, Front or Back, and Left or Right views. Smooth and Highlights is the default shading mode for the Perspective view. When you create custom camera views later on, you can access them from within the viewport menu under the Views option.
Viewport Navigation
The Zoom, Pan and Arc Rotate tools are located in the lower right corner of your 3ds max application window.
Not all of the tools are visible at once. Any of the tool buttons that have a small black triangle at its lower right corner contains a flyout with more tool options. A flyout can be accessed by clicking on and holding the tool button.
figure 4.2 Viewport navigation toolbar. On the right is the toolbar with the flyouts accessed. These tools act within all but the camera viewports
Zoom
Simple zoom in a viewport by clicking and dragging in the viewport
Zoom Extents
Zooms within the viewport to include all visible objects
Zoom Extents Selected
Zooms within the viewport to include entire selection
Zoom All
Simple zoom in all viewports by clicking and dragging in one of the viewports
Zoom Extents All
Zooms within all viewports to include all visible objects
Zoom Extents All Selected
Zooms within the viewport to include entire selection
Min/Max Toggle
Toggles between multi-viewport layout view and maximized single selected viewport view
Pan
Moves the viewport parallel to the viewport plane by clicking and dragging within the viewport
Arc Rotate
Rotates view around view center
Arc Rotate Selected
Rotates view around center of selection
Arc Rotate Sub-Object
Rotates view around selected sub-object
Field of View
Zooms similar to camera lens with larger FOVs approximating a distorted wide-angle lens view and smaller FOVs a flattened telephoto lens view.
Region Zoom
Magnifies rectangular region, selected by clicking and dragging, to fill the entire viewport
Object Selection
figure 4.3 Select and Select by Name tool buttons
Use the Select Object tool to click on or drag a window around objects in a viewport or select from a list of objects through the Select by Name tool.
To select multiple objects:
| Main Toolbar > select or select by name tool > click on one object or object name > hold CTRL key > click on other objects or their names |
or:
| Main Toolbar > select tool > drag a selection window around multiple objects |
If there is a group of objects that you will repeatedly need to select as a group, you can create a Named Selection Set which you can later access to reselect the same objects.
To create a Named Selection Set:
| select objects > Main Toolbar > click in Named Selection Sets field > type name of set |
figure 4.4 Named Selection Sets field
To Lock a selection:
| select objects > spacebar |
Align Tools
figure 4.5 Align Tool Flyout
| select source object > Main Toolbar > Align tool > select target object > Align Dialog Box |
The source object is the object that you would like to move into alignment with another. The targetobject is the object that will remain fixed in the alignment process.
In the dialog box, you will be able to control the mode of alignment and reference points.
In this example, the source object is the pink box which is currently selected, as shown by the white bounding box. The target object is the green box. The coordinate axes have been re-labelled for clarity. The following images show the changes in alignment that correspond to different settings in the align dialog box. These transformations have been performed using the primary Align tool (the first tool in fig. 4.1).
| |   |
| |  |
| |  |
| |  |
Grouping Objects| select objects > Main Menu > Group |
Creating a group that contains an object which is itself a group will create a Nested Group. To ungroup by level of nesting: | select group > Main Menu > Group > Ungroup |
To ungroup all objects including nested groups: | select group > Main Menu > Group > Explode |
To attach an object to a group: | select object > Main Menu > Group > Attach > select group to attach to |
To edit or transform an object within a group: | select group > Main Menu > Group > Open |
To detach an object from a group: | select group > Main Menu > Group > Open > select object to detach > Main Menu > Group > Detach |
To group a mixture of light and geometry objects: | select objects > Main Menu > Group > Assembly > Assemble |
|
Snapsfigure 4.7 Snap Toolbar with Flyouts To turn snaps on: | Main Toolbar > select any Snap Toggle button |
or: To customize snap settings, access the Grid and Snap Settings dialog box as we did in exploring the Home Grid settings: | Main Menu > Customize > Grid and Snap Settings |
or: | Main Toolbar > right-click any Snap Toggle |
To use snaps for relative references: | S key > select objects for transformation > spacebar (to lock selection) > perform transformation using snaps to reference relative distances or angles |
To override snaps (temporarily suppress all snap settings in order to allow one snap to take effect: | shift + right-click in the viewport > select overriding snap from menus |
|
Introduction to Modeling
Before you begin this section, and if you haven't already done so, you can read a brief overview of Modeling in the description of the 3ds max 6 Operations.
Basic modeling tools are located in the Command Panel. The panel contains six tabs including theCreate tab and the Modify tab. These are all identifiable as icons in the topmost row. Clicking on any of these will produce a second row of associated tools and an extended panel with specialized control rollouts. These are different for every tab. Each tool will also have its unique rollouts.
(a)  | (b)  figure 5.1 Command Panel
(a) with the Create tab active and highlighted
(b) with Create tools identified
(c) with Create Box tool active |
The following two sections look at the steps involved in two basic methods of modeling. Creating a Standard Primitive ObjectA standard practice in 3ds max is to create a basic object of choice from the options on the Create panel and to then modify its parameters using direct numerical input for precision. To create a Standard Primitive object: | Command Panel > Create tab > Geometry tool > Standard Primitives > Object Type rollout > select Object Type |
Depending on the complexity of the geometry selected, the sequence of actions you will then need to perform with the mouse buttons varies. For instance, to draw a box once the appropriate Create tool has been selected: | left-click once and hold in viewport > drag > release > move mouse > left-click |
The final steps ofmay have to be repeated for certain object types such as the torus.
Once you have drawn the basic geometry, you can alter it by using the numeric entry input fields in the list of rollouts in the Create panel or in the Modify panel parameters rollout. The same method applies in using the other Create tools to make other Geometries, Shapes, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, Warpsand Systems. | (c)  |
Creating a Lofted Object Using Shapes and a Path
Lofting is the process of extruding two-dimensional shapes or cross sections along a path.
To create a lofted object of uniform cross section, draw a path and a shape (the cross section):
| Create Tool > Shapes > Line Tool > (draw a path along which to sweep a cross section) > (right-click in window to end Line command) Create Tool > Shapes > (choose any of the Shape tools beside the Line to draw a cross section for the lofted object) > (draw the Shape in the window) > (right-click to end the Shape command) |
Then loft the shape along the path you have drawn:
| (Select the Path or the Shape you have drawn, but not both) > Create Tool > Geometry > (from the flyout just under the Geometry Tool, change Standard Primitives to Compound Objects) > Object Type rollout > Loft > Creation Method rollout > Get Path (if the Shape is already selected) or Get Shape (if the Path is already selected) |
figure 5 .2 Line (path) with Donut Shape (section) selected
figure 5.3 Lofted section (green)
Introduction to Materials Editing
Before you begin this section, and if you haven't already done so, you can read a brief overview of Materials Editing in the description of the 3ds max 6 Operations.
The Materials Editor is a window that allows you to control surface properties of objects you have modeled. These include color, texture, transparency and reflectivity.
This window contains a sample palette where, like a painter mixing colors before applying to a canvas, you can manipulate sample swatches until you are satisfied with them, before applying them to objects in the scene. Any changes you make to a swatch in this palette are automatically updated in objects in the viewports to which the material has been assigned.
You can also define materials through hierarchies of surface properties. For example, you might apply a label to an object which in turn has its own material properties. Surfaces can be either static or animated. An example of an animated material could be the flickering moving images on a TV screen.
To access the Materials Editor: | type the keyboard shortcut M |
At the top of the window, there is a matrix of sample slots (the sample palette) which, in a new file with no materials defined, can be considered as basic or "blank" materials. The materials all appear as matte grey spheres. In the image at the right, some materials have already been defined, hence the array of different colors and textures. To select a material slot and make it active, simply click on the slot. You will notice that the active slot is now bordered by a heavier white outline. Later on, you will see that those sample slots which represent materials that have been applied to objects in the scene will have small triangles in their corners. If a sample slot is both active and represents a material that has been applied to a currently selected object, the triangles in the corners of the sample slot will be white. To change the number of sample windows visible in the material editor: | right-click any sample slot and select the desired matrix |
To copy materials between slots: | click on source material slot and drag to an empty (blank) slot |
| |   |
Materials can be accessed from:
- the Material editor
- the scene
- an external collection of predesigned materials (material library)
To add materials to the sample palette from the Material Library:
| M > activate empty material slot > click Get Material > material/map browser > browse from group > mtl library > file group > open > browse to materials or max file directory |
then:
| > choose filename.mat > click material of choice > (doubleclick or drag thumbnail to active slot in material editor) |
or:
| > choose filename.max or filename.chr |
To add materials to the sample palette from the scene:
M > activate empty material slot > click Pick Material from Object > select object in scene |
To assign a material to an object in the scene:
drag material from sample to object |
select object in viewport > select material sample slot in Material Editor > click Assign Material to Selection |
The creation of realistic-looking materials requires a bit of trial and error. The following are sample settings for ten different materials, meant to be used as reference points for creating other materials.
Introduction to Lighting
Before you begin this section, and if you haven't already done so, you can read a brief overview of Lighting in the description of the 3ds max 6 Operations.
Basic lighting tools are located under the Create tab of the Command panel. The lighting tool is the third icon from the left and resembles a studio spotlight. Lights in Studio Max can be used for a variety of visual effects including Cast shadows, Project images, and Creating volumetric effects for atmospheric lighting. There are two main types of lights available in Studio Max, Standard lights and photometric lights. Lights can be transformed(mover/scaled/rotated) by right clicking on the light and selecting the type of transformation you wish to perform.
Creating Standard Lights
Creating an Omni Light:
Omni lights emit light in all directions from a single point. To create an Omni light use the following sequence.
create > lights > standard lights > omni > (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
Creating Spotlights
There are two types of spoltights in the Standard lights set; Targeted Spotlights and Free Spotlights. Free Spotlights consist of a point of origion that emmits light in a cone shaped pattern. To create a Free Spotlight use:
create>lights>standard lights>free spotlight> (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
Targeted spotlights use the same cone shaped light emmission, but they also have a positionable targeting object that can be used to control where the light is pointed.
create>lights>standard lights>targeted spotlight> (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
Creating a Directional Light:
Directional lights emit light in a given direction without the cone-like spread of a spotlight. They can be either circular or square shaped. Like spotlights they can be created in either targeted or free forms. To create a free directional light:
create > lights > standard lights > directional light > (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
To create a targeted directional light use:
create > lights > standard lights > targeted directional > (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
Shadows
Lights in 3ds max do not cast shadows by default. Shadows can be turned on and controled in the a light's modify panel.
Introduction to Cameras
Before you begin this section, and if you haven't already done so, you can read a brief overview of Cameras in the description of the 3ds max 6 Operations.
Cameras, as would be expected, are points from which a scene in Studio Max can be viewed or rendered. Cameras can be created and manipulated like other objects. They are in fact very similar to spotlights in terms of manipulation.
Creating a Camera
To create a camera use:
create> cameras > free camera > (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
It is also possible to create targeted cameras that always point at a positionable object. This targeting object makes it easier to aim the camera in some cases.
To create a targeted camera:
create> cameras > targeted camera > (click in viewport to place) > (right click to end command)
Once cameras have been placed in a scene it is possible to look through them by right clicking on a camera and choosing the set "Set View To Selected Camera" option.
Glossary:
anistropic:
material shader
highlight whose shape is other than a circular shaped areaambient color:
(material editor)
the color of objects in areas of shadow
both the diffuse color and the ambient color are locked together by default
effects are only visible in the presence of ambient light sourceambient light:
> simulates indirect light (eg the light that permeates outdoor scenes) and radiosity (light that bounces off brightly colored objects)
increases the overall level of illumination throughout the sceneblinn:
material shader
default shader for standard materials; mathematically more accurate than the phongbump map:
creates appearance of texture on surface of object but does not actually alter the geometry of the object (ie texture is not visible on the profile of the object)diffuse color:
(material editor)
the object color as it appears to the eyedisplacement map:
alters the geometry of an object based on image or algorithm (texture visible on the profile of the object)global illumination:
light that has been reflected off other objects
increases the amount of ambient light in the scene
controlled in the Advanced Lighting tab of the render scene dialoghome grid:
the default grid that consists of three planes on the world coordinate axes
multiplayer:
material shader
two anistropic in one; used to create effects of glazing where two materials display two different highlightsNURBS surface:
Non-uniform rational B-spline
industry standard for designing and modeling surfaces especially those with complicated curves
Tools do not require understanding of maths that generate the objects
Easy to manipulate interactively
Algorithms that create objects are efficient and numerically stable
Analytically generated; efficient to calculate; can appear seamless
In actuality, rendered NURBS is approximated by polygons but approximation can be very fine grainedoren-nayar blinn:
material shader
porous, non-plastic skin version of blinnphong:
material shader
produces specular highlights, plastic appearancephotometric light:
a physically accurate model of how a real-world light would appear
free point defined by spotlight, isotropic (like an omni) or web (from a file) distributionpolygonal mesh:
type of surface modeling which makes it more difficult to create complicated curved surfaces
faceted; potentially large number of small faces needed to render smoothly curved edgeradiosity solution:
a mesh overlay that generates global illumination including bounced light and physically accurate shadowsraytrace material:
perfect for reflective materials like shiny metal and glassscene:
a workfile
opening a new scene is equivalent to opening a new document in Microsoft Wordself-illuminating color:
gives an object a glow but does not itself emit light in the sceneshader:
an algorithm that tells the program how to calculate surface renderingspecular color:
material editor
the color of the specular highlightspecular highlight:
material editor
the intensity and area of highlight; level of shininessstrauss:
material shader
metals, control over metallic characteristics of materialtranslucent shader:
material shader
similar to blinn, allows specification of translucency, scatters light through translucent material<viewport:
viewports are windows into the three-dimensional space of your scene
Keyboard Shortcuts:
| 8 | environment dialog |
| F | front view |
| F4 | change viewport display to Edged Faces |
| F9 | render last |
| G | turn grid on / off |
| H | select objects dialog |
| M | materials editor |
| P | changes viewport to perspective |
| S | snaps on/off |
| T | top view |
| U | user view |
| Shift + move | copy |
| rightclick spinner | resets value to zero |
| hold middle mouse button | pans in viewport |
| CTRL+R | activates Arc Rotate |
| ALT+ hold middle mouse | rotates view
|
المشاركات
