+==============================================================================+ | | | 3D Studio MAX | | | | | | The Unofficial 3D Studio MAX Frequently Asked Questions | | ------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | Written By | | | | Stefan Jansson | | | +============================================================= Public Domain ==+ Published: 13/3-00 Revision History: 13/3-00 - Added "3.1 Keyboard shortcuts" with all hotkeys for MAX r3.x 6/3-00 - Nothing new. 28/2-00 - Added "How do you stop your .WAV file from looping?" to the sound section "11.1 General" 21/2-00 - Updated section "11.1 General" with the "Foley Studio MAX" sound plugin. It seems very cool so go and check it out! 14/2-00 - Nothing new. 7/2-00 - Happy 1:st year anniversary "The Unofficial 3D Studio MAX FAQ"!!! Yes, it's now one year since I started posting the FAQ to the alt.3d.studio and comp.graphics.packages.3dstudio newsgroups. There hasn't been much updates to it the last few weeks as I'v been busy with other things. Hopefully this will change. 31/1-00 - Nothing new. 24/1-00 - Nothing new. 17/1-00 - Updated "2.1.3 Version Status" to be r3.1. - Updated many "r2.5" to be "r3.1" 10/1-00 - Nothing new. 3/1-00 - Nothing new but a small millennium later(!) 27/12-99 - Some spelling errors fixed (thanks Ewald!) 20/12-99 - Nothing new. 13/12-99 - Nothing new. 6/12-99 - Nothing new. 29/11-99 - Nothing new. 22/11-99 - Updated "2.1.4 System Requirements for 3D Studio MAX r2.5" to be valid for MAX R3 - Updated "2.1.7 Short about 3D Studio Viz" for Viz R3 - Updated "3 The MAX user interface" with information from Kinetix website. - Updated "6.2 Mapping technique" with "Is there any "unwrap" plugins that will unwrap the texture coordinates?" - Added section "12.6 How to create gold" - Updated "16.7 Models" with another link to Star Wars models - Updated "16.9 Free Plugins" with an address to Mankua who gives away the TLUnwrap plugin for free! 15/11-99 - Updated section "10.11 Outputting the animation to video or film" with "Q: What is the best way to output my animations to videotape? Least loss??"... it's all about Digital Video!!! - Updated section "16.6 Materials" with another link for textures - Updaterd section "6.2 Mapping technique" with an explanation for transluctant materials - Updated section "5.2 Shapes" (Can Adobe Illustrator be used in combination with MAX?) with the decimal separator problem in Illustrator AI88 files. 8/11-99 - Deleted section "1.6 The Unofficial 3D Studio MAX FAQ mailing list" - Added "I have a problem with my r3 dongle" to section "2.9 Questions about the MAX hardware protection" - Updated section "5.5 Mesh Modeling" with MAX r3 beveling info in "Does anyone know how to bevel the edges of a box?" - Added the sound plugin flexsound to section "11.1 General" - Added www.cyba3.co.uk to "16.13 Schools teaching 3D" 1/11-99 - Nothing new. (I'm back! Will start updatging the FAQ again) 25/10-99 - Nothing new. (Still in the Philippines!!) 18/10-99 - Nothing new. (Still in the Philippines!!) 11/10-99 - Nothing new. (Still in the Philippines!!) 4/10-99 - Nothing new. (I'm in the Philippines on vacation!) 27/9-99 - Updated "4.2 Basic operations in MAX" with "The axis restriction doesn't seem to work in MAX3. Is this a bug?" 20/9-99 - Nothing new. 13/9-99 - Nothing new. 6/9-99 - Nothing new. 30/8-99 - Updated section "Outputting the animation to video or film" with "What is that "Video Color Check" button for?" 23/8-99 - Updated section "10.3.3 What is a "codec" and which one is - the best?" with the address to CodecCentral. - Updated section "10.3.3 What is a "codec" and which one is - the best?" with a list of many codecs and some comments - Intruduced section "1.8 Abbreviations and terms used in this FAQ" 16/8-99 - Updated "10.3.3 What is a "codec" and which one is the best?" - Updated "16.1 Manuals and books" with what r3 includes 9/8-99 - Updated "2.6 MAX bug report" with "Suddenly I can't rotate any objects..." 2/8-99 - Updated "2.1.3 Version Status" - Added "2.2 Buying a second hand MAX copy" - Updated "2.9 Questions about the MAX hardware protection" - Added "How do I import Adobe Illustrator paths to 3D Studio MAX?" to section "13.9 Import/Export other softwares <-> 3D Studio MAX" - Splitted "15.1 General about the PC system setup and OS" into sub-chapters. - Added "Which Service package should I install on top of Windows NT core?" to section "15.1.1 Running MAX in a dual-boot setup (Win9x together with Win NT)" - Added another link to a texture resource for section "16.6 Materials" 26/7-99 - Updated "2.5 MAX bug report" with "Bad AVI class..." - Updated "14.2.1 The Basics" with "Can I change controller types at a certain frame?" 19/7-99 - Updated "2.5 MAX bug report" with a problem with bmm.dll - Updated "13.7 MAX vs. other 3D software" with how to get started in the 3D animation business - Added chapter "17 Miscelaneous" and "17.1 How do I create a demo reel?" - Updated "6.1 Basics" with "How do I apply a bitmap to my 3D object?" 12/7-99 - Updated "6.1 Basics" with the difference between Shading types Blinn, Constant, Phong and Metal - Added en explanation of "Camera match" to section "9.9 Camera matching / Motion Tracking" - Added "12.4 How to create ice" - Updated "15.4 Other additional hardware" with a Q about Renderdrive 5/7-99 - Added Intel Indeo, Soerensen, Xing and Cinpak to section "10.3.3 What is a "codec" and which one is the best?" - Updated "16.2 Magazines" with Design4 (former KTX World) and 3D Creature Workshop - Updated "16.3 News" with additional 3D newsgroups - Updated "16.12 Other related Internet resources" with Autodesks Q's and A's search engine 28/6-99 - Added "12.17 How to create mist/fog" 21/6-99 - Updated "6.2 Mapping technique" with how to use Alpha channels - Updated section "16.6 Materials" with a link to FreeTextures - Created section "16.11 On-line chat" 13/6-99 - Updated section "4 MAX Basics" with how to get rid of the "spalsh" screen when MAX is starting up. 7/6-99 - Nothing new. 31/5-99 - Nothing new. 25/5-99 - Nothing new. 17/5-99 - Introduced the section "2.2 How do I reach Kintetix and their resellers?" 10/5-99 - Section "5.1 Basics" has been updated with some suggestions on what methods to use when starting to model. - Updated "13.2.1 Character Studio" with how to use Hypermatter together with CharacterStudio. - Added "13.2.5 The Incredible Commic Shop / Cartoon Reyes" 3/5-99 - Added "10.3.8 About Photoshop plugins in Vidoe Post" - Added "9.10 Track View" 26/4-99 - 15.2.2 Problem with core.dll an/or I get an "invalid page fault" introduced - Whole FAQ has been spellchecked 19/4-99 - Section "4.2 Basic operations in MAX" updated with Array - Section "9.1 Basics" updated with how to scale animations - Section "7.2 Working with Lights and shadows" updated with how to create a flickering light - Section "15.5 Benchmarking MAX" updated - Corrected some minor faults 12/4-99 - Minor updates and corrections 5/4-99 - "12.1 Making water in MAX" updated with another example (A7:) - Material section "6.1 Basics" updated with "What is a shader?" - The presentation of MAX at "2.1 Presentation" is updated 29/3-99 - "2.7 Questions about the MAX hardware protection" updated 22/3-99 - Added "Leadtek" to the "15.2.2 Presentation of...." section - Modified the "2.5 The 3D Studio MAX Help system" section 15/3-99 - modified section "15.2.1 An introduction" for graphic cards - added "15.2.2 Presentation of different graphic cards" - added "10.11 Outputting the animation to video or film" 8/3-99 - Section "15.4 Benchmarking MAX" created - Just minor updates and spelling/grammar corrections 1/3-99 - Added the section "1.6 The Unofficial 3D Studio MAX FAQ mailing list" - Added section "1.7 When asking questions in the newsgroups" 22/2-99 - Added a tip to the section "6.5 Seamless texture bitmaps" - Added section "16.4 News, Reviews, Galleries and more..." - Added section "12.16 How to create a pearl necklace" 15/2-99 - Section "10.1 General" updated with explanation of "Z-buffer" - Minor things updated and added 8/2-99 - Section "16.11 The "Drained" section - lots of inspiring 3D Artists" added - Small Q's and A's added from the newsgroups 1/2-99 - Section "6.2 Mapping technique" - added a planar map technique - Section "4.2 Basic operations in MAX" - problem when rotating, problem with axis restriction. - Section "5.4 Patch modeling" - new basic explanation - Section "5.6 NURBS Modeling" - Just a note added - Section "13.7 MAX vs. other 3D software" - MAX vs. AM +==============================================================================+ | INDEX | +==============================================================================+ INDEX ----- 1 About this FAQ 1.1 What is it and where does the information come from 1.2 The Purpose of this FAQ 1.3 Who is maintaining the FAQ 1.4 Disclaimer 1.5 FAQ Internet mirror web sites 1.6 When asking questions in the newsgroups 1.7 Abbreviations and terms used in this FAQ 2 About 3D Studio MAX 2.1 Presentation 2.1.1 First some sales promotion(!) 2.1.2 The "MAX" story 2.1.2 Who uses MAX? 2.1.3 Version Status 2.1.4 System Requirements for 3D Studio MAX r2.5 2.1.5 Pricing 2.1.6 Support forums for 3DS MAX 2.1.7 Short about 3D Studio Viz 2.2 Buying a second hand MAX copy 2.3 How do I reach Kintetix and their resellers? 2.4 3D Studio MAX demos and version updates 2.5 MAX File format 2.6 MAX bug report 2.7 The 3D Studio MAX Help system 2.8 About piracy, cracks, serial numbers and CD-keys for 3D Studio MAX 2.9 Questions about the MAX hardware protection 3 The MAX user interface 3.1 Keyboard shortcuts 4 MAX Basics 4.1 Backups 4.2 Basic operations in MAX 5 Modeling 5.1 Basics 5.2 Shapes 5.3 Primitives 5.4 Patch modeling 5.5 Mesh Modeling 5.6 NURBS Modeling 5.6.1 NURBS Basic explanations 5.6.2 Working with NURBS 5.7 Modeling 3D landscape 5.8 Digitizing real models into 3D format 5.9 Compound Objects 5.9.1 Boolean 5.9.2 Morphing 6 Materials 6.1 Basics 6.2 Mapping technique 6.3 About Raytracing 6.4 Seamless texture bitmaps 7 Lights, shadows and fog 7.1 Lighting - the basics 7.2 Working with Lights and shadows 7.3 Working with Volumetric Lights 7.4 Working with fog 7.5 Lights in animations 8 Particles 8.1 Particle fundamentals 8.2 How to use particles 9 Animating 9.1 Basics 9.2 Forward Kinematic 9.3 Inverse Kinematic 9.4 Real time animation / motion capture 9.5 Dynamics 9.6 Space Warps 9.7 Combustion 9.8 Camera 9.9 Camera matching / Motion Tracking 9.10 Track View 10 Rendering 10.1 General 10.2 Rendering scenes and animations 10.3 Video Post 10.3.1 General about Video Post 10.3.2 How do I create an animation from Video Post? 10.3.3 What is a "codec" and which one is the best? 10.3.4 About Focus / Depth of Field in MAX 10.3.5 About Motion Blur 10.3.6 About Lensflare 10.3.7 About making objects Glow 10.3.8 About Photoshop plugins in Vidoe Post 10.4 VRML 10.5 Virtual sets / MAX animations within live movie 10.6 Network rendering 10.7 Batch rendering 10.8 Render resolutions 10.9 Rendering animations for the WEB 10.10 Problem with the "Rendering Window" 10.11 Outputting the animation to video or film 11 Sound 11.1 General 11.2 Lip synching 12 How to create... 12.1 Making water in MAX 12.2 How to make gas 12.3 How to create glass 12.4 How to create ice 12.5 How to create metal 12.6 How to create gold 12.7 How to create mercury 12.8 How to create mirrors 12.9 How to create sparks 12.10 How to model an hourglass 12.11 How to create an underwater explosion 12.12 How to create lens flare or shiny stars in space 12.13 How to create liquid 12.14 How to create lightning effects 12.15 How do I create a computer mouse? 12.16 How to create smoke 12.17 How to make an object "implode" 12.18 How to create a pearl necklace 12.19 How to create mist/fog 13 Plugins and additional software 13.1 General about Plugins 13.2 Commercial Plugins 13.2.1 Character Studio 13.2.2 Sandblaster 13.2.3 Genesis VFX 13.2.4 Bones Pro 13.2.5 The Incredible Commic Shop / Cartoon Reyes 13.3 Free/shareware plugins 13.3.1 Free Blob/Metaball modeler 13.3.2 How to use Bomb2 13.3.3 How do I create infinite planes? 13.3.4 Description of peoples "favorite" free plugins 13.4 Plugin Manager 13.5 Writing Plugins for 3D Studio MAX 13.6 Additional software 13.7 MAX vs. other 3D software 13.8 Import/Export AutoCad <-> 3D Studio MAX 13.9 Import/Export other softwares <-> 3D Studio MAX 14 MAXScripts and Expression Controllers 14.1 MAXScripts 14.1.1 The Basics 14.2 Expression Controllers 14.2.1 The Basics 15 Hardware and Workstation Setup 15.1 General about the PC system setup and OS 15.1.1 Running MAX in a dual-boot setup (Win9x together with Win NT) 15.1.2 Running MAX in a dual-CPU system 15.1.3 Running MAX on an overclocked CPU 15.1.4 Running MAX on a non-Intel CPU 15.2 Resource problems with MAX and Win9x 15.2.1 Resource problems 15.2.2 Problem with core.dll 15.3 Graphic cards 15.3.1 An introduction 15.3.2 Presentation of different graphic cards 15.3.2 Which Graphic card shall I buy and what shall I be looking for? 15.3.3 Can a Voodoo I/II (3DFX) card be used to accelerate MAX? 15.4 Other additional hardware 15.5 Benchmarking MAX 15.6 Video Editing hardware 16 MAX Related Resources 16.1 Manuals and books 16.2 Magazines 16.3 News 16.4 News, Reviews, Galleries and more... 16.5 Tutorials 16.6 Materials 16.7 Models 16.8 Commercial Plugins 16.9 Free Plugins 16.10 Other FAQ's 16.11 On-line chat 16.12 Other related Internet resources 16.13 Schools teaching 3D 16.14 The "Drained" section - lots of inspiring 3D Artists 17 Miscelaneous 17.1 How do I create a demo reel? +==============================================================================+ | - 1 - About this FAQ | +==============================================================================+ 1 About this FAQ ---------------- 1.1 What is it and where does the information come from ------------------------------------------------------- This if The Unofficial 3D Studio MAX frequently asked questions (FAQ). The information found in here originally comes from posts in the ALT.3D.STUDIO, COMP.GRAPHICS. PACKAGES.3DSTUDIO and ALT.BINARIES.3DSTUDIO internet newsgroups. 1.2 The Purpose of this FAQ --------------------------- The purpose of this FAQ is to spread information on how to use the 3D Studio MAX application and to let newcomers to the newsgroups know about already discussed topics. Hopefully this will lower the number of questions asked over and over again. 1.3 Who is maintaining the FAQ ------------------------------ The FAQ is for time being maintained by Stefan Jansson. You can reach me at: stefan_jansson_@hotmail.com Suggestions on how to enhance this FAQ together with news and other information are greatly appreciated. 1.4 Disclaimer -------------- Please note that the maintainer of this FAQ can't be held responsible for what's written in the FAQ as most parts are taken directly from the newsgroups. If you feel that some aspects or comparisons are wrong please let me know. All copyrights and trademarks are held by their respective companies. Products mentioned are not necessarily endorsed. This FAQ may, and should be freely distributed (no charges should be made or fees taken for use or viewing of this document). 1.5 FAQ Internet mirror web sites --------------------------------- This FAQ is mirrored at the following Internet sites: Davy's MAXForum: http://www.maxforums.org Jarek Dukat's site: http://www.nautilus.com.pl/jarek Matthew Clementson's site http://www.StudioBlue.co.uk/3dsfaq/ 1.6 When asking questions in the newsgroups ------------------------------------------- When you are new to the 3D Studio MAX Internet newsgroups (like all other newsgroups) you should start by looking at the old posts before placing your question. Many many times the same questions are asked over and over again. If you feel that you are new to MAX and have some basic questions you can almost be sure that your questions have already been asked and answered. By quickly browsing through the headers of the old messages you might save time and some frustration for others. Also don't forget to scan trough this FAQ as many of the "beginners" questions are gathered in here. Another good thing to know is that you should try to avoid posting binary pictures to a "non-binary" newsgroup. Try putting your image on a website instead and just refer to it with a link. This will make people with slow modems more happy. When reading the messages in the newsgroups you might come across some abbreviations. Below you find the most common ones with an explanation to what they mean: IMHO = In My Humble Opinion IMNSHO = In My Not So Humble Opinion LOL = Laugh Out Loud ROTFLMFA = Rolling On The Floor Laughing My F***ing Ass off AFAIK = As Far As I Know = grin :-) = smiling face tipped to the left :-( = sad face tipped to the left ;-) = smile with a wink tipped to the left Lastly, try not to SHOUT! Writing with capital letters are considered shouting and being rude. Cheers and happy MAXing! /Stefan 1.7 Abbreviations and terms used in this FAQ -------------------------------------------- There are quite a few abbreviations used in this FAQ and also in the 3D "world". This is a comprehensive list of some of the most common terms and words. 3D Three Dimensional Discreet Part of Autodesc inc. and the publisher of 3D Studio MAX KTX Kinetix, today renamed to Discreet WWW World Wide Web +==============================================================================+ | - 2 - About 3D Studio MAX | +==============================================================================+ 2 About 3D Studio MAX --------------------- 2.1 Presentation ---------------- The following paragraphs are taken from http://www.3dartist.com/ and the Kinetix web site http://www.ktx.com. 2.1.1 First some sales promotion(!) ----------------------------------- 3D Studio Max is published by Discreet (former Kinetix), a division of Autodesk, Inc. Move to 3D Studio MAX r3.1, Has your imagination gone beyond what your 3D animation software can do? Move to 3D Studio MAX r3.1 from Kinetix, the leading 3D software package on the NT platform. In its first year, 3D Studio MAX outsold every other professional 3D package. Now it's even better. Faster. More powerful. Packed with over 1000 new features and enhancements. The second release of 3D Studio MAX is a powerhouse package for film and video production: balanced for superb image quality, speed, freedom of animation, and world-class special effects, all within a rich and accessible development environment. For games development, 3D Studio MAX raises the bar for interactivity and excitement, combining stunning effects with new levels of openness, extensibility, fast modeling, and interactivity all in one highly cost-effective package. Defining the Edge, 3D Studio MAX is production proven, delivering the results you need to win in this business. While every other package is re-tooling to become object- oriented, 3D Studio MAX is already in its second-generation Windows NT release. It's object-oriented architecture is perfect for this fast-changing industry because it enables developers and Kinetix to create startling new features and plug-in applications that quickly integrate into the core package. With more than one hundred plug-ins on the market, new ones coming out all the time, and the ability to create your own, you'll always be on the leading edge. MAXimum Animation, 3D Studio MAX makes it easy for you to animate everything! Immediate visual feedback makes it the most intuitive package around, freeing you to concentrate on what you want to create instead of the steps you have to take to build it. You don't have to transition between subsystems; everything's fully integrated. You can translate your creative ideas into astonishing results, model beautifully smooth NURBS-based forms, animate with advanced dynamics and particle systems, and combine selective raytracing with optical effects to render the highest-quality animation for film and television production. 3D Studio MAX also makes it easy to integrate 3D scenes for seamlessly composited video and film by matching scene cameras to those in the real world, with 3D motion tracking, camera matching, using audio cues to time events, and rendering post effects based upon 3D scene information. MAXimum Power, 3D Studio MAX is fully multi-threaded, harnessing the power of multiple processors and free network rendering for incredible scalability. OpenGL and Direct3D[tm] support ensure the fastest hardware-assisted graphics to visualize your ideas quickly. Super-fast and beautiful scanline rendering, with the ability to selectively raytrace any part of the scene, helps you create spectacular images while meeting deadlines. MAXScript, a powerful scripting language for customized control and external communication, accelerates your workflow. Fast drag-and-drop control of materials, maps, and models creates a fluid work environment. 3D Studio MAX software leverages the NT platform for you, providing a solid, cost-effective solution for you to grow your business. So if you're serious about staying on the edge, take a look at 3D Studio MAX. You don't have to wait for other packages to switch to new architectures and add in the features you need. 3D Studio MAX is ready for you know. Create, Produce, Astonish! 3D Studio MAX software leverages the NT platform for you, providing a solid, cost-effective solution for you to grow your business. So if you're serious about staying on the edge, take a look at 3D Studio MAX. You don't have to wait for other packages to switch to new architectures and add in the features you need. 3D Studio MAX is ready for you now. 2.1.2 The "MAX" story --------------------- The following sections are taken from the Kinetix website. When 3D Studio MAX was released in the Spring of 1996, it delivered the first object oriented animation system designed for Windows NT. While many were taken with its unified interactive environment, or the ability to animate virtually anything and revisit operations at any time, 3DS MAX's thorough extensibility was probably its most important innovation. Studios quickly developed custom production tools, game developers forged conduits to their engines, and scores of seamless plug-in products were available to the rapidly growing MAX community in less than a year. The MAX Team rapidly built upon the solid 3D Studio MAX foundation, delivering a feature rich Release 2 just 18 months after MAX first shipped, and following that with an impressive Release 2.5 a mere 7 months later. While it may have appeared to some that 3DS MAX simply achieved feature parity with some older 3D systems, those using it realized those same abilities delivered substanti- ally more power and possibility when integrated into MAX's unified, object- oriented NT environment. That fact was certainly not lost on many, as MAX has become the chosen tool for over 90,000 animators around the world. Now, just 3 years after 3DS MAX was first available, and less then one year after R2.5, Kinetix is proud to announce 3D Studio MAX Release 3 - a very significant release that revolutionizes the workflow and productivity of animators and studios alike. While the 3D Studio MAX architecture has served well, the growing needs of animators and the competitive nature of their industry showed Kinetix that improvements to core areas were needed to ensure MAX artists would continue having what they required to stay in the lead for the years ahead in both efficiency and capabilities. MAX R3 does not shy away from large issues or answer problems with work-arounds - it delivers fundamental architectural innovations, and significant workflow improvements that take advantage of those innovations, to deliver an outstanding creative tool for 3D animation. 2.1.2 Who uses MAX? ------------------- Recently, 3D Studio MAX and other Discreet software has been used to create such premiere productions as the motion pictures "Lost in Space" and "Deep Rising," television's "Ally McBeal" and "Van-pires," and broadcast commercials for Cap'n Crunch, NFL on FOX, Stick-Ups and Schick razors. Using 3D Studio MAX, a host of game developers have produced some of today's hottest interactive entertainment titles, including "Tomb Raider I and II", "Red Alert", Duke Nukem A Time to Kill", "Diablo" and "Warcraft". 2.1.3 Version Status -------------------- 3D Studio Max release 3.1 is the current version. Upgrade price from version 2.5 costs about $795 and a new full license is ~$3500. If you are a student you can get the "Student" license to a reduced price (see the "3D Studio MAX demos and version updates" section below). Note that upgrading from r3 to r3.1 is free! 2.1.4 System Requirements for 3D Studio MAX r3.1 ------------------------------------------------ * Intel-compatible processor at 200 MHz minimum (thoroughly multi-threaded to take full advantage of multiple processor systems; dual Pentium II system recommended) * 128 MB RAM minimum * 250 MB HD Swap File (amount depends on scene complexity) * Graphics card supporting 1024x768x16-bit color. (OpenGL and Direct3D hardware acceleration supported, 24-bit color, 3D graphics accelerator preferred) * Windows-compliant pointing device (specific optimization for Microsoft Intellimouse) * CD-ROM drive * Optional: sound card and speakers, cabling for TCP/IP-compliant network, 3D hardware graphics acceleration, video input and output devices, joystick, midi-instruments, 3-button mouse. 2.1.5 Pricing ------------- Full professional licens; U.S. list price is $3,495. Pricing "on the street" is around $2,900. Upgrade U.S. list price from MAX R2 is ~$795. Talking about 3D Studio MAX r3 the list prices that was presented at the Game Developers Conference are: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- YOU HAVE | YOU WANT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | MAX r3 New MAX r3 Upgrade* MAX r3 Transfer** MAX r2.5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- {nothing} | $3,495.00 $3,495.00 3DS MAX r2.x | $795.00 3DS MAX r1.x | $1,495.00 $895.00 3DS DOS R1-R4 | Ask Kinetix $2,495.00 3DS VIZ R1-R2 | $2,000.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Upgrades allow the previous hardware lock to be maintained (kept) ** Transfers require a surrender of previous product's hardware lock The "Education" license for MAX r3.1; U.S. list price is $998.98. You do need to prove that you are a student and sign an Autodesk Application Agreement form. There are also some bundle packages that includes plugins such as Character Studio and Painter 3D. Check Kinetix web site for more up to date information. Contact dealers who advertise in 3D Artist to comparison shop. Beyond initial price, keep in mind the value a good dealer can provide to you in terms of technical support and follow-on service, including speed of delivery when you need some add-on product. *** IMPORTANT *** Discreet/Kinetix also started to use a "territory" system which limits you to by the software from only the dealers closest to you. Give Kinetix a ring and get the full story to be sure before you shop around. 2.1.6 Support forums for 3DS MAX -------------------------------- KTX webboard at http://support.ktx.com/. The webboard features the following sections where you can read and place questions: - Plugins Tech Support Forum - Forum Guidelines - Newsflash and Press Releases - FAQ's - Installation and Setup - Documentation - Tutorials - General Support - MAX 2.5 Support - Hardware - Networks - NURBS - Plug-ins - Digimation Tech Support - Character Studio - Support Uploads - Support Downloads - Documentation Downloads - Images Library - Animations Library - MAX Scenes Library - MAXScript - SDK Support - 3DSMAX R2 Diner - Job Postings / Resumes - Seeking Customer Success Stories - Logos and Signature File Library This is an enormous source of information. You can either logon as "Guest" which gives you read-access or apply for a read-write account if you want to place your own questions. 2.1.7 Short about 3D Studio Viz ------------------------------- Kinetix has been shipping 2D Studio Viz r3.0 since about September 99. The list price for a single user license is about U.S. $1,995(?). Check the Kinetix web site for more information. 2.2 Buying a second hand MAX copy --------------------------------- Autodesk (Kinetix/Discreet) will not allow -anyone- to transferre their 3D Studio MAX licese to someone else. This means that you as a second hand owner of MAX are not allowed to participate in their upgrading program with discounted prices. You have to pay the full price for the next release of MAX. Do research this statement before buing any second hand copy or you might end up with a non-upgradable license. 2.3 How do I reach Kintetix and their resellers? ------------------------------------------------ On the Internet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kinetix in general can be reached on the Internet at: http://www.ktx.com For bug reporting go to: http://www.ktx.com/cgi-win/polyform.exe/bugform You can send Kinetix feedback at: http://www.ktx.com/cgi-win/polyform.exe/feedback If you want to talk to Kinetix sales, send the mails to: peter.burval@autodesk.com Resellers via FAX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From outside the United States and Canada, fax your request for information to: 1-415-507-6110 Latin America Fax 1-408-517-1748 Asia Pacific Fax +331-45-11-50-32 Europe, Middle East and Africa Faxs 2.4 3D Studio MAX demos and version updates ------------------------------------------- >Q: Is there a demo of 3D Studio MAX Rx.x available? A: No. Today there is only a full retail version and a student version of 3D Studio MAX. Both costs money. The limitations on the student version is that you can not use it for commercial purpose but otherwise it's a full featured version (i.e. no parts are taken out) and by the way, it DO come with real manuals. The student version just shows a splat screen when you start MAX that states that the version is not for commercial purpose. In the past two years I believe they've changed the rules regarding 3DS Max student licenses -- they are non-transferable, meaning you can't sell your copy once you've bought it (you can sell the professional version). The good news is that upgrading to a professional license from a student license is cheaper than buying a new professional license -- or so the salesperson told. Other than the actual applications the best you can manage without having to pay anything is a non-interactive demo CD that Kinetix will send you for free if you ask on their site www.ktx.com. Perhaps you can get a reseller to show you the program in action, but there are no guarantees. --- >Q: Is there any significant addition to 3.1? I have rX, Necessary to upgrade? A: Go and check all the new features at: http://www.ktx.com/3dsmaxr3/html/whats_new.html 2.5 MAX File format ------------------- >Q: Where can I find the file format for 3D Studio MAX Rx.x? A: 3D Studio MAX uses a -very- complex file format. More complex and totally different from the previous 3D Studio DOS version. The 3D Studio DOS file format can be found at www.wotsit.org but no one has up till now come with a clear and complete description of the 3D Studio MAX file format. This is why most 3rd party applications uses plug-ins to MAX instead of an "import" function. --- >Q: How to convert 3D Studio files to MAX file format? A1: This is exactly what the help file says in 3D Studio MAX release 1, about the 3DS format. Anyway, I do not want to have a discussion about what the help file says. I just would like someone to tell me how to make a 3DS file with UV co-ordinates, and I know is possible because I have some samples. When you import a 3DS file, you get the following: - Backgrounds (solid, gradient, and bitmap). - Fog, Layered Fog, and Distance Cue. - Ambient light level. - Subtractive transparency is converted to 3DS MAX "Filter" transparency and the filter colour is set equal to the diffuse colour. - Transparency falloff settings. - All map channels that are enabled. Map channels that are turned off in the .3DS file do not import into 3D Studio MAX. - All map parameters, including UV transforms, Negative, Mirror, and Rotation. Some Map Parameters such as Blur, Luma, and RGB and Alpha work much differently in 3DS MAX. These values are converted to new values that produce a similar affect. - Mask bitmaps are imported as a 3DS MAX mask texture. - When materials with both Texture 1 and Texture 2 are imported, a composite texture is created and added to the Standard materials Diffuse channel. - Reflection maps, auto-cubics and mirrors. - Automatic reflection map Nth frame and Map Size settings. - SXP translation for Marble and Noise materials. - 3DS/DOS IK joint parameters. - 3DSurfer patch data. The following information is not imported in a 3DS file: - Morph keys - Keyframer instances - Map channels that are turned off - Custom .cub-format cubic maps - Decal transparency using the RGB colour of the upper-left pixel of the map A2: > I'd just upgraded from 3D Studio MAX r1.2 to R2 and I have some projects > that I want to continue with but for some reason the 1.2 files are in > a .3DS format and R2 says that it can't recognize them. > > Is there anything I can do? Use File\Import instead of File\Open! 2.6 MAX bug report ------------------ >Q: Objects move when the Transform type in is brought up! A: This is a pretty major bug with Max from version 1 and through to 2.5 and Viz 2. When you right click one of the transform buttons to bring up the transform type-in, the x co-ordinate in world space is often highlighted, when I go to the x box for screen space (or whatever co-ordinate system I have chose) sometimes the object, and the numbers change or move. I haven't worked out when exactly or why it does this, it appears that it is less likely with multiple selections. Either way it is a serious bug, I have to undo this slight move if I am lucky enough to spot it happening. At best it is inconvenient, at worst my model is not accurate which in my work (architectural and interior) is not an option. In fact there seems to be an issue with all the dialogs in Max and moving your cursor to and from them and working with the objects. --- >Q: Suddenly I can't rotate any objects in MAX 2.x any more! What has happend? A: It happens sometimes. Go to File | Preferences | Viewports | Move/Rotate Transforms and check the 'Rotation increment' parameter. I should be 0.5, but sometimes 3D Studio MAX sets it to 0.0. If MAX has other strange settings, try deleting the 3smax.ini file and restart the application. MAX will then re-create the .ini file with it's initial values. --- >Q: I have a problem with the Sentinel driver and my parallel port A: There is a serious, though fortunately not widespread, bug whereby the Sentinel (dongle) drivers have problems interfacing with some parallel ports on certain machines. The symptom is about a 10-second delay in mouse movements. There are a number of threads on the subject in the Kinetix On-Line 3DS Max R2 channel. And Kinetix says it is hard at work on solving this problem as quickly as possible. --- >Q: When using MAX and Photoshop at the same time I get an "The dynamic link > library bmm.dll could not be found in..." error. > > When I have MAX and Photoshop both open and I press any key while in > Photoshop. I get an error message which reads: "The dynamic link library > bmm.dll could not be found in the specified path - D:\3dsmax2.5\stdplugs;,; > E:\WINNT\System32;E:\WINNT\system;E:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop 5.0; > E:\WINNT\system32;E:\WINNT ..." and then there must be more but the message > box runs out of room. This is not a Photoshop problem. I have seen it with different programs. It is not caused by MAX itself, but by the MAX's Asset Manager. If you close the AM before switching to PS (Alt+Tab), the error will not occur. I remember reporting the problem to Ktx, and AFAIK it will not happen in MAX R3. --- >Q: Why do I get the message "Bad AVI class..." when I try to render my anim.? A: There is a bug-fix for that at Kinetix website. 2.7 The 3D Studio MAX Help system --------------------------------- >Q: Can Netscape be used instead of Internet Explorer for the MAX Help System? > > Can I use Netscape instead of Explorer for viewing the helping support > in MAX? If I must use only Explorer can I use the very first versions? A: I think you cannot use Netscape for this, because it's a compiled html- format for IE only. It's not very wise and nice of Kinetix to put this "must for beginners" in there (in dependency with IE4) though it slows down your whole system. There are two files on the MAX CD called HH.exe and HHCTRL.OCX. These files are standard for Win98 (where a good part of the MS documentation is in CHM format). You will get them automatically with all newer SDKs from Microsoft (like DirectX and MSDN Library), and they also come together with those "electronic books" (book contents on accompanying CD). One example is the latest "Programming Windows" (Charles Petzold). Alas, I'm afraid these two files won't make it without the IE4. The Petzold book CD states, for example, "you will need the latest version of IE to use this electronic book" -- and includes an IE 4.01 setup in fifteen or so languages. Heard of a file on the MAX CD (sth with hhie4 or so) which can replace IE. Have a look. 2.8 About piracy, cracks, serial numbers and CD-keys for 3D Studio MAX --------------------------------------------------------------------- Both the ALT.3D.STUDIO and COMP.GRAPHICS.PACKAGES.3DSTUDIO are "serious" newsgroups and it will never pay off to place questions on how to find cracked versions of either 3D Studio MAX or any other plugins/applications. The same goes for serial numbers or CD keys. Please take your questions to one of the "warez" newsgroups, and yes, the "Z" in the end of "warez" stands for pirated software (as well as appz, serialz and crackz). Now we have said it once and there's no need for repeating it, OK?! 2.9 Questions about the MAX hardware protection ----------------------------------------------- >Q: Can I move my hardware dongle between machines? A: Yes. As long as you have one dongle connected to the machine that you are working on for the moment you can run MAX. --- >Q: Can I start MAX on one machine with the dongle connected and then move > the dongle to another machine? A: No. MAX scans for the dongle periodiclly and not just when starting up. --- >Q: Do I have to send my old dongle back to Kinetix whan upgrading MAX? A: Some people have been asked to send their old dongle back and some have not. You better check with Kinetix what's the deal for your specific country/area. If they ask for your old dongle back be aware of that your old version of MAX will not run, neither will any of the old plugins. --- >Q: Can I have more than one hardware dongle connected to the same machine? (i.e. a hardware dongle for both MAX 1.x and 2.x) A: Yes. Read your manuals for the correct order of plugging your dongles in. --- >Q: Can I use my old version of MAX with just my new dongle plugged in? A: No. --- >Q: I have problem with my r3 dongle. A: Yes, they've made a bunch of bad ones. Go to http://www.ktx.com/hardware_lock_notice.html for the details on getting a replacement. --- >Q: Is it possible to buy another hardware protection dongle from Kinetix? > > I haven't had the need, but can't you buy a second dongle from > Kinetix? I'm sure if you're a registered user, they'll oblige. 'Course, > it'll probably cost you, but then again it'll save you time and > aggravation... A: No - that is not how it works. The dongle is designed to stop you from using the one license in two places. Why should Kinetix give a second dongle unless you purchase a second license? Do like I do. Take the dongle in to work in the morning - and bring it home at night. No big deal. Kinetix will not replace the dongle in the case of theft, fire, etc. You must insure for the cost of a new license. This is stated near the back of the 2.5 user guide I believe. +==============================================================================+ | - 3 - The MAX user interface | +==============================================================================+ 3 The MAX user interface ------------------------ Since MAX R3 was released the userinterface is now highly customizable. The following section is taken from the Kinetix website. Custom User Interfaces (CUI) can be defined, saved, and recalled when needed to accommodate the tastes of individual artists or the needs of specific tasks. The CUI layouts include the position and display of major 3DS MAX interface elements (e.g., toolbar, command panel, etc.), custom toolbar definitions and positions, button and icon definitions, tooltips, scripts, and color infor- mation. The CUI layouts are transportable files and are accessible from across the network to ensure artists have the layout they need when they need it. Any number of custom toolbars can be created with any number of custom buttons. Toolbars can float, dock, or be placed in the Tab Bar for convenient access. Individual toolbars can be hidden and recalled as needed. Custom Buttons can reference keyboard shortcut actions, macros, or scripts and may have custom tooltips and images for easy recognition. Button faces can be text or have a customizable icon image (hundreds included). Buttons can be dragged and dropped between toolbars for rapid creation. Button images are high quality, 24-bit color with 8-bit masks to work seamlessly with your choice of Windows Interface colors. Buttons can be small (traditional MAX) or large (the new default) to comfortably accommodate a range of display resolutions. 3.1 Keyboard shortcuts ---------------------- The following list is the hotkeys defined by default in MAX r3.x. This list was extracted and refined by Chris (krice@pkd.org). Thanks Chris! (t) = toggleable command command: -> keyboard shortcut ---------- Main U.I. ---------- Adaptive Degradation (t) -> o Adaptive Perspective Grid Toggle -> Shift+Ctrl+a Align -> Alt+a Angle Snap (t) -> a Animation Mode (t) -> n Background Lock (t) -> Alt+Ctrl+b Backup Time One Unit -> , Change to Back View -> k Change to Bottom View -> b Change to Camera View -> c Change to Front View -> f Change to Isometric User View -> u Change to Left View -> l Change to Perspective User View -> p Change to Right View -> r Change to Spot/Directional Light View -> Shift+4 Change to Top View -> t Change to Track View -> e Cycle Selection Method -> Ctrl+f Cycle Subobject Level -> Insert Cycle Through Snaps -> Alt+Space Default Lighting (t) -> Ctrl+L Disable Viewport -> d Display Cameras (t) -> Shift+c Display Edges Only (t) -> Ctrl+e Display First Tab -> Alt+1 Display Geometry (t) -> Shift+O Display Grids (t) -> g Display Helpers (t) -> Shift+h Display Lights (t) -> Shift+l Display Particle Systems (t) -> Shift+p Display Safeframes (t) -> Shift+f Display Select-By-Name Dialog -> h Display Space Warps (t) -> Shift+w Edged Faces (t) -> F4 Expert Mode (t) -> Ctrl+x Fetch -> Alt+Ctrl+f Forward Time One Unit -> . Freeze Selection -> 6 Go to End Frame -> End Go to Start Frame -> Home Grid Display All (t) -> Shift+g Hide Command Panel (t) -> 3, q Hide Floating Toolbars (t) -> 4 Hide Main Toolbar (t) -> Alt+6 Hide Tab Panel (t) -> y, 2 Hold -> Alt+Ctrl+h Interactive Pan -> i Interactive Zoom In -> [ Interactive Zoom Out -> ] Lock User Interface (t) -> Alt+0 Match Camera To View -> Ctrl+c Material Editor -> m Maximize View (t) -> w MAXScript Listener -> F11 New Scene -> Ctrl+n Normal Align -> Alt+n Nudge Grid Down -> Numpad - Nudge Grid Up -> Numpad + NURBS Shaded Lattice Toggle -> Alt+l, Ctrl+4 NURBS Tessellation Preset 1 -> Ctrl+1 NURBS Tessellation Preset 2 -> Ctrl+2 NURBS Tessellation Preset 3 -> Ctrl+3 Offset Snap -> Alt+Ctrl+Space Open File -> Ctrl+O Pan View -> Ctrl+p Percent Snap (t) -> Shift+Ctrl+p Place Highlight -> Ctrl+h Play Animation -> / Quick Render -> Shift+q Redo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+a Redo Viewport Operation -> Shift+a Redraw All Views -> 1 Render Last -> Shift+e, F9 Render Scene -> Shift+r, F10 Restrict Plane Cycle -> F8 Restrict to X -> F5 Restrict to Y -> F6 Restrict to Z -> F7 Rotate View Mode -> Ctrl+r, v Save File -> Ctrl+s See-Through Display (t) -> Alt+x Select Ancestor -> PageUp Select Children -> PageDown Selection Lock (t) -> Space Shade Selected Faces (t) -> F2 Show Last Rendering -> Ctrl+i Snap (t) -> s Sound (t) -> \ Spacing Tool -> Shift+i SubObject Selection (t) -> Ctrl+b Texture Correction -> Ctrl+t Transform Gizmo (t) -> x Transform Gizmo Size - -> - Transform Gizmo Size + -> = Transform Type-In -> F12 Undo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+z Undo Viewport Operation -> Shift+z Unfreeze All -> 7 Unhide by Name -> 5 Update Background Image -> Alt+Shift+Ctrl+b Viewport Background -> Alt+b Viewport Box Mode (t) -> Shift+b Virtual Viewport (t) -> NumPad 1 Virtual Viewport Pan Down -> NumPad 2 Virtual Viewport Pan Left -> NumPad 4 Virtual Viewport Pan Right -> NumPad 6 Virtual Viewport Pan Up -> NumPad 8 Virtual Viewport Zoom In -> NumPad 7 Virtual Viewport Zoom Out -> NumPad 9 Wireframe / Smooth+Highlights (t) -> F3 Zoom Extents All -> Shift+Ctrl+z Zoom Extents -> Alt+Ctrl+z Zoom In 2X -> Shift+Numpad + Zoom Mode -> z Zoom Out 2X -> Shift+Numpad - Zoom Region Mode -> Ctrl+w ---------- Track View ---------- Add Keys -> a Backup Time One Unit -> , Edit Keys Mode -> e Edit Ranges Mode -> F3 Edit Time Mode -> F2 Expand Object Toggle -> o Expand Track Toggle -> , t Forward Time One Unit -> . Function Curves Mode -> F5, f Lock Selection -> Space Move Highlight Down -> Down Arrow Move Highlight Up -> Up Arrow Nudge Keys Left -> Left Arrow Nudge Keys Right -> Right Arrow Position Ranges Mode -> F4 Redo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+a Render Last -> F9 Render Scene -> F10 Scroll Down -> Ctrl+Down Arrow Scroll Up -> Ctrl+Up Arrow Undo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+z ---------- Material Editor ---------- Render Last -> F9 Render Scene -> F10 Undo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+z ---------- Schematic View ---------- Backup Time One Unit -> , Forward Time One Unit -> . Redo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+a Undo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+z ---------- Video Post ---------- Add Image Filter Event -> Ctrl+f Add Image Input Event -> Ctrl+i Add Image Layer Event -> Ctrl+l Add Image Output Event -> Ctrl+o Add New Event -> Ctrl+a Add Scene Event -> Ctrl+s Edit Current Event -> Ctrl+e Execute Sequence -> Ctrl+r New Sequence -> Ctrl+n Undo Scene Operation -> Ctrl+z ---------- NURBS ---------- Affect Region -> Alt+a CV Constrained Normal Move -> Alt+n CV Constrained U Move -> Alt+u CV Constrained V Move -> Alt+v Display Curves -> Shift+Ctrl+c Display Dependents -> Ctrl+d Display Lattices -> Ctrl+l Display Shaded Lattice -> Alt+l Display Surfaces -> Shift+Ctrl+s Display Toolbox -> Ctrl+t Display Trims -> Shift+Ctrl+t Local Select Sub-Object By Name -> Ctrl+h Lock 2D Selection -> Space Select Next in U -> Ctrl+Right Arrow Select Next in V -> Ctrl+Up Arrow Select Previous in U -> Ctrl+Left Arrow Select Previous in V -> Ctrl+Down Arrow Select Sub-Object By Name -> h Set Custom Tessellation -> Alt+4 Set Tessellation Preset 1 -> Alt+1 Set Tessellation Preset 2 -> Alt+2 Set Tessellation Preset 3 -> Alt+3 Switch To Curve CV Level -> Alt+Shift+Z Switch To Curve Level -> Alt+Shift+c Switch To Imports Level -> Alt+Shift+i Switch To Point Level -> Alt+Shift+p Switch To Surface CV Level -> Alt+Shift+v Switch To Surface Level -> Alt+Shift+s Switch To Top Level -> Alt+Shift+t Transform Degrade -> Ctrl+x ---------- Edit/Editable Mesh ---------- Attach Mode -> Shift+a Auto Edge -> Shift+v Auto Smooth -> a Bevel Mode -> Shift+b Break Vertices -> b Collapse -> l Create Mode -> c Cut Mode -> Shift+c Delete Isolated Vertices -> r Detach -> t Divide Mode -> d Edge Invisible -> i Edge Level -> 2 Edge Turn -> Shift+t Edge Visible -> v Element Level -> 5 Explode -> x Extrude Mode -> e Face Level -> 3 Flip Normals -> f Hide Selected -> h Ignore Backfacing in Selections -> Ctrl+b Ignore Visible Edges (for Polygons) -> Ctrl+i Next Subobject Level -> + Object Level -> 6 Polygon Level -> 4 Previous Subobject Level -> - Select By Vertex Toggle -> Ctrl+v Select Open Edges -> o Show Normals -> n Slice Plane -> s Slice -> Shift+s Soft Selection Affect Backfacing -> Ctrl+f Soft Selection -> Ctrl+s Unhide All -> u Unify Normals -> Shift+f Vertex Level -> 1 Weld Selected -> w ---------- FFD ---------- Switch To Control Point Level -> Alt+Shift+c Switch To Lattice Level -> Alt+Shift+l Switch To Set Volume Level -> Alt+Shift+s Switch To Top Level -> Alt+Shift+t +==============================================================================+ | - 4 - MAX Basics | +==============================================================================+ 4 MAX Basics ------------ >Q: How do I get rid of/change the splash screen when MAX is starting? A: Put your own image in the MAX root directory and name it splash.bmp! 4.1 Backups ----------- >Q: MAX backup files > > Max 1.2 crashed on me whilst working on a large file (20 MB). After > restarting the machine I tried to load the file again but it doesn't > want to open. I assume the crash has corrupted the file. Is there > any way of saving the work, it's needed quite urgently!!! A: Try looking up your backup files. Max saves your work-in-progress periodically (you can specify how often) The file you were working on might be held in your "scenes" directory. Show "all files", and they should come up as Autobak1.mx, Autobak2.mx, and so forth. 4.2 Basic operations in MAX --------------------------- >Q: Problem when rotating object > > I'm using max R2 and tried to rotate a sphere around its pivot. > Instead of rotating around the pivot it rotated around the point I > clicked before dragging the mouse to rotate the sphere ... ? A: When Snap to grid is ON, objects rotate around mouse point. Disable Snap to grid (button on bottom). --- >Q: Problem when rotating object > > I want to rotate objects from a point where I want and MAX always > use the middle of the object to rotate. I transformed the pivot but > no changes. A: 1. Go to hierarchy, affect pivot point only a. Change your pivot to where you desire b. Exit, and go back to the create tool 2. Change your icon up top from selection center to its individual pivot 3. Rotate on the local axis These steps make it even easier if you want to rotate more than one thing at a time, useful for saving steps. --- >Q: Problem when rotating a group of objects > > I'm having serious problems when attempting to rotate a particular > group. When I attempt the rotation, the objects in the group scatter, > each one rotating about a seemingly different axis. I also tried > linking all objects to the central object instead, but they still > scatter. A: Make sure 'Reference Co-ordinate System' is not set to local and 'Use Selection Center' is selected for the axis location. RefCoSys is a dropdown list and axis location is flyout button next to it, both at the toolbar... --- >Q: It seems like axis restriction does not work when Snap is turned on > > When I select some objects, activate only the Y-axis restriction > I can move the objects in X and Y-direction?! A: Snapping does not have to override axis-restrictions. Bring up the grid and snap settings dialog (e.g. Right-click the snap button). The Options-tab shows at the bottom: Translation: Use Axis restriction. Checked: Transformations obey axis-restrictions This will make Snap and X/Y/Z-restriction work together. --- >Q: The axis restriction doesn't seem to work in MAX3. Is this a bug? A: No! If you have selected restriction to X axis and by mistake put your mouse on the Y axis arrow when moving the object, the Y axis will override your X axis restriction. Make sure that you don't put your mouse on any of the pivit points arrows when you move your object. You can also change the size of the pivot arrows. --- >Q: How do I align a Viewport to an object's face? > > I'm trying to align a user view with an object face. This was possible > in 3DS R4. Is there a way to do that in MAX R2? A1: Just hold down the "Align" button in the toolbar at the top for a second or two and all the other alignment options should appear. A2: You could use a grid. Align the grid on object's face, in the view menu activate object grid, configure the view grid.... --- >Q: Problem when doing a circular Array > > Can anyone explain to me how to make a circular array of a particular > object in 3DSMAX? Say for instance I wanted to array a symbol so that > it became the 12 points on a clock-face. I've tried following the > manual's advice, but no matter what I do, I just seem to get my object > spinning off into the distance as it rotates, rather than the effect > I'm after. A: The MAX array dialog is a bit confusing. Pay particular attention to the proper x,y,z axis you wish to array in. Enter the number in the array, (12 in your case) and the degrees between them (30) and make sure the re-orient box is checked. Also make sure you move the pivot point to the appropriate place and use it as the rotation point. In this case the center of the face of the clock. With those things all properly entered you should get what you're after. +==============================================================================+ | - 5 - Modeling | +==============================================================================+ 5 Modeling ----------- 5.1 Basics ---------- >Q: Can someone give me some "general" thoughts about modeling before I start? A1: Hmm, well I am not professing to be an expert, but I think I have a firm grasp of the ungraspable......so here goes: My personal modeling technique involves mental visualization...if I can visualize the object/scene/etc in my mind's eye, I can much more easily come to grips with making a model/scene/lighting. Step 1: Concept, idea. Step 2: Visualization: see your object within the limitless bounds of your brain. Step 3: Examine in all possible details, and from all possible angles, any real world objects or scenes which are similar to your concept/idea. If none exists, try and find something that is close, or try sketching with pencil and paper or even working with clay, paper or any other materials available. Step 4: Go to work, repeating steps 1-3 as many times as necessary. Other, more specific, notes on design: as you note, sharp sided objects look very CG and getting the smoothness or sharpness out will almost always raise your poly counts significantly. For many objects, bump mapping can produce some very believable imagery, but for close up work, this will almost always be insufficient. In one particular scene I have, I made spline drawn "cracks" for some stones in a temple, in addition to which the stones were beveled and booleaned on the edges and corners. The poly count on these stones went up quite a few thousand percent, and the results are still not quite perfect for me and require additional working. This image is on my website, in the 3D section, if you want to make any comments, and/or view it to see what I mean. This scene was mostly produced in trueSpace3, but additional elements, lighting and objects were added in trueSpace4, to take advantage of ts4's new render engine and shaders. The following address will take you directly to that page: http://www.nakedhoof.com/truespace.html For symmetrical objects, the mirrored modeling technique works very well. I would highly recommend for organic/lifeform models that additional modifications be made to any mirrored parts to give them more natural features. When working with nurbs, modification of points after this will be very simple to do and subtle changes will add _tons_ of character to your creature or human characters. A2: TIP: For polygonal character modeling, it's always smart to use the p-nurbs script. Working on low poly meshes allows much faster feedback when working and you can always apply a meshsmooth for final output. R 2.5's poly cutting and slicing brings the modeler into LW's league. Going too high in poly count and optimizing ends up in uneven nasty meshes. Maybe r3's optimize modifier will improve. A3: I'm certainly not an expert, but I wrote a tutorial on modeling using cross-sections a while ago. It was written following a model I built in LightWave, but I've received a number of e-mails from people using other programs saying that many of the techniques translated very well into their particular program. If you're interested, it's in the tutorials section of LightWave World at: www.lightwaveworld.com If I had to pick out the top 5 tips from my tutorial, they would be: 1 - The basic idea of approaching a modeling task differently (using cross sections in my case). There are countless ways to model an object, there's no reason to start with a cube every time. 2 - The technique I used to model the wheelwells of the car. 3 - The technique I used to model the body seams between the doors, fenders, hood... 4 - The technique I used to model the lights and license plate cutouts in the front and rear bumpers. 5 - The importance of modeling all the little details. Not that I specifically showed how to model any of the smaller details, but I tried to show their importance. The weather-stripping around the windows, the emblems, the door handles... These details aren't particularly hard to model, but they make a huge difference in the overall appearance of the completed model. A4: Definitely, like someone said before, get your hands on a 3D model of the subject you'd like to model. Though I know it can't always be done, it helps immensely. It doesn't have to be the same object though. For example, if you are modeling an alien's legs, and you don't have any idea on how to start, just go to your local toy stores and browse the action figures or cartoons, you'll invariably end up seeing something that you'll like and you can use that as a launching point. Specifically for modeling, I always start with something at the base level or near the ground. For example, a lot of my meshes that I made are mechs or walkers. For those, I almost always started with the legs and then worked up. They helped with the proportion and made it easier for me to visualize the object. Another tip is to model rough stand-ins for the rest of your incomplete model so you can see how it's going. I mean model them almost as if you were just sketching them on the paper. Just rough cubical or simple representative shapes for you model. --- >Q: What "method" should I use to model more complex creatures/forms? > > I am new to 3d studio Max so please excuse what I know is a lame question > but I am getting really frustrated. > > I have been through the Sams tutorial book amking geometric shapes and > various architectual structures. This is fun and I'm getting prety good > at material mapping etc. The thing is that I really want to make some more > complex models like cars and creatures, etc. I do not understand how you do > this. If I wanted to make a car for instance how to I get the complex curves > and nooks that make up the car? Do I loft the basic shape then use fit > deformation? Should I be using NURBS? How do people get these nice detalied > models that look as though they were sculpted vertex by vertex? I dont mean > to ramble but I really do feel like I have hit a brick wall here. I see > other meshes that contain a nice amount of detail and I cannot figure out > how it is accomplished. I am sure this is a vague stupid question but if > anyone can reccomened a book on advanced modeling that will help with this > and organic shapes please let me know. Im tired of modeling chess pieces :) A1: There are no stupid questions... unless they are about warez, are plainly spelled out in the manual, or are about something totally unrelated to this NG. The thing that you are dealing with is a large part of becoming a good 3D artist. For just about every model that you can make, there are a dozen other ways to make them. One person might use Nurbs, while another might use meshes with mesh smooth. The idea here is that the modeling choices are based upon several factors. I will see if I can list some of the factors, but there are lots... so I will probably not get them all. Modeling is based upon, the tools you have, the tools you know, the abilities of different tools, the level of detail needed, the time at hand, the importance upon the scene, the need for something to be altered, the need for the model to be animated, and various others that I can not think of. Let me give you an example... take your car for example. If you do not have the NURBS tools, then you will not be able to use them (da)... but you do, but I expect that you are not really familiar with them. If this was for a client, and they needed it fast... you would not screw around trying to learn NURBS, and do the work at the same time. If the model is not so organic... say it is a hummer you are creating, then Nurbs might not be the way to go. If the car sits way off in the distance, then you might just model something real quick, take a still of it, and put that still onto a flat plane so as to increase render time on the final output. If you are OK with Nurbs... enough to get something done, but not really good enough to be able to animate it well (not that a car would require this so much, but this is an example) then you might go with what you know if there is a time crunch. Or you might go with what you do not know so as to learn it. I think that you get my point. Alot of models that people create are actually sculpted vertex by vertex... this can be a time consuming thing... but everybody does it... that is one of the best way to tweek a model to make it look just right. But there are also alot of tricks that people use, which do not give themselves away in the final rendering. The bump map is one of my favorites... when I teach my 3D classes, it is always funny to see people look at a surface with a strong bump map, and they kind of cringe thinking that they might have to model that vertex by vertex. But that is only one example. 3DCafe.com has some good tutorials... as well as numerous others... I will let other responses tell you more about those. What I did to learn was look around my life, and find things to model so I could get better... I would even model somethings with several different ways, so that I could compare. In not too long, you will be able to look at something and say... "hmmm... I would use NURBS for that", or "I think that putting this much glow on this kind of particle system would get that effect the best"... point being that it all comes with experience. Look at what others have done, there are a million galleries of 3D images, and think about how you might have done that. Even try to model something that another has done, that way you know that it is possible, and you just have to find out how. But do not try to claim rights, or pass the other stuff off as your own... this is a small world, and you will get caught. I do not know if you ever saw that guy who ripped an image of a porn site, and then stuck it in a 3D environment, and called it his own. It was really impressive, until one of the regulars picked it out... then it was funny. Put up a site with the work that you have done, and tell us to go look at it. We would love to crit your work... but beware that people do not pull punches around here, and mud might sling. But this is also one of the best ways to learn... having people look at your stuff, tell you where it lacks, and tell you how you might fix it. A2: Forget NURBS to begin with, in MAX, they are complex and are really suited to high res characters and sphereical objects where you don't want to see any edges. MAX is great for polygon modelling and has a lot of very useful tools. The basic methods used are: * Applying an edit mesh modifier to basic primatives and and turning Sub-Object/Vertex on selecting groups of verties moving and working with them. Also by using Sub-Object/Edge you can split faces, slice through an object to create more detail or select an edge and extrude it using the extrude button or by pressing the shift key and moving the edge where you like you can extrude a lot quicker. You can also edit in the Sub-Object/Face mode which allows extruding of faces and control over smoothing. * Another method I use is to create your model out of splines, using edit spline attach all the splines together and then apply an edit mesh which converts all the points along your splines into verties. Using the Editmesh Sub-Object/Face/Buit Face button you can then build faces using these verties. This is a rather slow technique but is very good for building basic low poly shapes and finer detail can be added with the techniques explained above. * The easiest would be to use patches to create basic surfaces. If you apply an "Edit Patch" modifier you can go to Sub-Oject/Edge mode select an edge and add another patch either square or triangular. In Edit Patch Sub-Object/Vertex mode you can then move these around weld various verties etc. to form your basic shape. For refinement you can then apply an Edit Mesh modifier and use any other of the techniques discribed above. * Another option is to create you own primitives by creating spline profiles then applying an "Extrude" or "Lathe" modifier or Lofting them (which is another whole story) then apply any of the above techniques. Baiscally, it is just a matter of trying all these and any other techniques you can find and finding what works for you. It's not something that can be acheived on a Sunday afternoon it takes years of experiementation to get any good. I've been at it for two years almost full time and I'm still learning new techniques every day. --- >Q: How can I copy modifiers from one object to another? A: Just click Modifier Stack icon, select modifiers to copy and click Copy button. Then select other object, go into modifier stack again, and here you can paste previously copied modifier - but fist you have to select something in the stack where you want to paste other modifiers (you can paste a modifier between two other modifiers). Note that this only works in MAX r2.x+. --- >Q: How to scale selected points or polygons within sub-object? A: Select the vertices and use the scale button right next to the move and rotate button on the toolbar. Dragging the mouse pointer up or downwards on the screen will increase/decrease the vertices scale. --- >Q: How do I select the front vertices of a sphere without selecting the one > in the back? > > I'm having trouble with is selecting and moving the correct vertices, say > for example you're working on a sphere, often when I go to select a vertex > (in the front view) I accidentally select the vertex in the rear of the > sphere instead of the one on the front. It's hard to explain but imagine > trying to select a vertex and instead of selecting the one closest to you, > you select the one farthest away (on the Z axis) I thought if there was a > way to somehow freeze the rear part of the object, or any part that you > don't want to modify, it would overcome this problem, but there doesn't > seem to be any way to do this at sub-object level. A1: Go into Edit Mesh>vertex and drag-select the vertices you want to hide, then click the "Hide" button in the Miscellaneous panel of Edit Mesh>vertex and you'll no longer be able to grab them by accident. A2: This is the way I work with vertex-selections. (I'm not saying it's the ultimate right way, but it works for me.) When selecting vertexes, I use maximized User viewport in wireframe mode. I choose any vertex and then I 'Arc Rotate Selected' (my keyboard shortcut is Alt+S) to see where that one specific vertex is lurking. I rotate view so that it's easy to see, and select it. (Remember also that Undo works with selections as well). If I'm working with faces I use viewport in 'Smooth' and 'Edged Faces' mode. Sometimes it's better to simply select all (my shortcut Ctrl+A) and deselect unnecessary with Alt+Drag. Or use Select Invert (my Alt+I). When I'm selecting objects in a complex scene, I sometimes use Shade Selected function (my Shift+S) with Wireframe viewmode. --- >Q: Anyone can suggest to me how to make windows and tyre holes for > a complex car body without using Boolean operations. A: If you want create through hole - create shape, then mirror it and add both shapes to ShapeMerge object. --- >Q: How do I cover holes in MAX? > > I got a face scan with some holes in it. So I want to close the holes. > but since there are many vertices which I want to keep, how can I do > this efficiently in Max 2? A: Try applying CAP HOLES modifier. If the mesh is OK, Cap Holes will make work great for you. --- >Q: Lower Polygon count on high-res models: > > Is there an easy way with 3D Studio MAX 2 to decrease polygon count from a nice, > high res model to something quake could use and get more than 1 fps? A: You can use the "optimize" button in Modifiers, this will reduce the face count. --- >Q: How do I "bend" a tube? > > I've recently started using MAX, and I'm having a bit of a problem. When I > create a Tube (for example) and I want to bend it as it follows a curved > path. It won't bend. While attempting to bend, twist or add noise, the gizmo > will adjust properly, but the object remains the same. > > I've read through the tutorials on this section, but it isn't helping. I'm > familiar with 3D studio r 3&4 but can't seem to get past this simple > problem. Any suggestions? A: You probably have to give the object more segments (done at creation or by modifying it later). An object will only bend at its vertices, so the more vertices the smoother bend. Hope this answered your question! 5.2 Shapes ---------- >Q: How do I make my splines show when I render my scene? A: Just goto modify the spline and check the "Renderable" check box under "Rendering" You can even specify the thickness --- >Q: How do I connect two splines together? > > I've got a simple question that I can't figure out at all! How do you > join multiple 2D lines together in 3D Studio Max 1.2?? How would I > connect the end of a line to the end of an arc? A: Attach the two shapes first (under the modify parameter of the line), then under sub-object, move the two vertices or splines close together, and it will ask if you want to connect them. --- >Q: I just want to connect a mirrored spline to the original. > > God I feel like an idiot. This seems so basic and I can't make the damn > thing work! > > Could somebody please explain to me why I can't get CONNECT vetoes > to work under the edit spline rollout? I've checked the manual, the > online help system, Max fundamentals and Inside Studio Max, no luck! > > Here's what I'm doing... > > 1. Created a spline > 2. Mirrored the spline > 3. Opened edit spline > 4. Selected the end point of the spline > 5. Clicked on CONNECT > 6. The cursor changes to a cross (or plus sign) > 7. I drag the cursor from the original spline end point to the mirrored > end point > 8. a dotted line appears as anticipated > 9. Nothing happens the two splines are not connected. A: Select the spline, apply Edit Spline modifier, go to subobject/spline, mirror it there, move a bit so the endpoints of both splines meets each other and confirm welding. --- >Q: How do I get a solid face from a closed shape/spline? > > If I draw 3 consecutive lines, how do I close them and make them into a > solid polygon ? (Instead of a wireframe one) A: Go into edit mesh at the face level and rummage around in the miscellaneous section, you'll find an option to "build face", this lets you create faces by connecting sets of 3 vertices between the lines. Make sure they're all the same object though. --- >Q: How do I refine my arc spline, i.e. how do I get more vertices to smooth it? A: Create a spline arc. In Modify panel - General parameters, set interpolation steps to a higher value (default is 6, highest is 100). --- >Q: How do I create leaves using splines? > > I'm sure lots of people here have INSIDE 3D STUDIO MAX vol 2 (advanced > materials and modeling). On the cover is a pic of a lake with a frog > hanging for its life on a long leaf. I'm trying to model my own > leaves in that style.... > > Am I doing it correctly?... I created the basic 2D leaf shape with the > line tool. I then want to apply some bend and twist (maybe others) > modifiers to it, but it needs some "faces". So I apply a couple > iterations of the "Mesh Smooth" modifier. That gives me some > resolution to play with but all faces go to the center of the leaf. I > guess I can live with/ that. Then I fiddle with/ the bend, twist, etc. > modifiers until my leaf looks good. > > Question: Is this the right way/best way to approach this? A: Every way that works is good. If you are doing a scene where leaves are in the center of attention (zoomed in) then you should consider taking a cross-section and doing a loft. That makes the leaf very realistic and it's much easier to bend it or apply some other modifier on it (displace can make a cool looking dent in it). If you are doing lots of leaves where it's not important how good they look then I would suggest the method you're using. --- >Q: How the heck do you fill regular shapes in 3D Studio Max 2 i.e. Squares, > Circles, etc.? A: There are many ways (as always in MAX), and they are quite different. 1.Adding any Mesh-based modifier will effectively convert the spline to a mesh first. These include EditMesh, MeshSelect, UVW map, Material, Normal, Relax, Smooth, UVW X-Form etc. Note that an EditMesh modifier is much "heavier" than a MeshSelect modifier in terms of Geometry Pipeline overhead. An EditMesh modifier is supposed to keep selections, change normals, smoothing groups, MatIDs etc. A MeshSelect modifier does just the selecting, so it is a good idea to avoid using EditMesh unless you have to change many different properties of the mesh at the same time. Also, when creating a text that is going to be flat and mapped, it is easier to add the UVW modifier directly to the spline instead of first adding and EditMesh or MeshSelect and after that UVW map... NOTE: In case you add an EditMesh modifier and you are SURE you will never need the spline settings again, you can convert the mesh to EditableMesh by collapsing the stack. This will greatly speed up MAX... 2.You can click or right-click the "Edit Stack" button if you are sure you will never need the spline settings again. From the list, select "Convert To: Editable Mesh". This is not really the MAX style, since you cannot edit the history of the object anymore. But it is there and if you are 100% sure, you may use it. 3.Adding an Extrude modifier with height of 0 (as suggested by another posting) will LOOK like a solid shape, but it will have MUCH MORE vertices/faces! In the case of a default circle, EditMesh generates 28 verts/26 faces. The Extrude modifier generates 56/108! This is because there will be top and bottom capped splines, and also side faces with height 0. (Like a flat cylinder) --- >Q: Can Adobe Illustrator be used in combination with MAX? > > I have been looking at using a drawing application such as Illustrator > to create my basic shapes instead of creating them with MAX's tools. > Any suggestions or comments on this approach to creating models. A: Yes, that is a great approach. Not only can you be more precise, You can do it more easily. Illustrator paths can then be brought in and manipulated. I do it this way exclusively. Really good idea and extremely fast. Note, if you are using 3DS4 the paths comes in open, meaning that they will not be valid shapes until you weld their vertices. In 3DS MAX, this is not a problem tough. Just make sure to save your Illustrator paths in AI88 format. Also, if you have a problem with importing your splines from Illustrator to MAX change your: My Computer | Control Panel | Windows Regional Settings | Properties Number: Decimal symbol to "." and Digit grouping symbol to "," This will work for any other language than English. 5.3 Primitives -------------- >Q: Why is the Teapot in the Primitives? A: Way back when at Cornell I believe, when those smarties there were first figuring out shading models and raytracing, they found that a teapot shaped like the max primitive encompassed many of the characteristics needed to test their methods. As far as why it is a primitive, I've come to a conclusion about the release of max 1: it was a shell for the technology. Much like quake (if you follow that sort of thing), the folks at Kinetix strove to get max to the point of being an acceptable package, and then released it before it had features comparable to, say, softimage. They knew that the extensibility was on a whole new level and that people would drool at the ease with which they could implement new stuff... Along the lines of people developing stuff for max 1, I believe that Kinetix was really counting on people getting the SDK and just going nuts making cool plugins. The reason why they included things like the teapot and ring array, among other things, was so that they could demonstrate the possibilities of primitives and systems, respectively. Now I don't think too many animators have found the teapot primitive to be useful at all, but PROGRAMMERS on the other hand probably found it immensely informative because by looking at the source code (which is included on the max 1.1 CD), they could see how non-contiguous meshes could be implemented as parametric primitives (i.e. teapot), and exactly what was possible with systems. Kinetix had to rely on 3rd parties to develop most of the cool stuff for max 1 after its initial release, because they gambled the get it to market before it was a truly full-feature product from the animator's point of view. 3D Studio MAX R2 is the result of them buying the time and making the cash t do it right. And I don't think that anyone is complaining now because MAX R2 is an amazing product. 5.4 Patch modeling ------------------- Patch modeling is when you have sheets of polys with splines at their edges, and to manipulate the 'sheet', you manipulate the spline handles. It's like a poor-mans-nurbs, in that you don't get dependant tools (blends, trims at all), and the curves aren't 'infinitely smooth', you have to control how much MAX tessellates the patches, which isn't always a bad thing, in fact it's very handy for keeping levels of detail down when not needed. A good example of how to use patches is on chuggnuts site (http://www. chuggnut.demon.co.uk/), look at the one about heads. A question/answer you might have thought of might be: 'once I've built up an outline of the shape I want (say a head) in splines, how do I make it a surface?' The answer is 'by hand', unless you have Surface Tools by Peter Watje. This is blatantly copied from Chugnuts site, apologies to him! Using the splines as a reference (I normally freeze my outline before starting), create a small quad-patch at some easy-to-start-at point. Go into sub-object mode, grab those handles, and pull the patch into shape, covering a smallish area. Once it looks right, add a patch to one of the patch's edges, move that one into shape, and so on. It's like taking little sheets of clay, attaching them to the previous piece, pushing it into shape, attaching another piece, and so on. A more complete explanation can be found at chuggnuts site. Surface Tools, on the other hand, will magically create patches between splines, however from what I've read (I don't have surface tools), the methodology is similar to doing it by hand, just do one piece at a time, make sure it's correct, and slowly work over the rest of your outline. --- >Q: Is there any way in MAX to always view a primitive in its actual triangles? > > Say, if I make a simple cube, is there anyway I can force it to display all > 12 triangles instead of 6 tetragonal sides? I don't simply mean the ability > to select 'face' instead of 'planar' in Edit Mesh/Face, but to operate like > that universally. Seeing the dividing edge of a plane in 'face' mode > doesn't do me a damned bit of good if I want to grab it in 'edge' mode. A: If you don't want to permanently change the visibility of the hidden edges, try the following to view them as dashed lines: 1) Select object 2) Right-click on it 3) Choose properties from the bottom of the resultant pop-up menu 4) In the "Display Properties" area of the Object Properties dialog box uncheck "Edges Only" 5) Hidden edges should now be displayed as dashed lines. --- >Q: How do I create low-poly count models? > > What is the best way to do low polygon modeling without primitives in > 3D Studio Max 2.5 or should I get another program I find it very > difficult to do it right in 3DS I tried everything but I think 3D Studio > is a bit limited in this area. A: I'm not sure what package you are using to create these polygons in, but here are a few pointers which will be relative to EVERY single 3-sided POLYGON in the UNIVERSE! 1. It is made up of three points (each called a vertex) 2. These in turn produce a FACE with a NORMAL. (the thing that is perpendicular to the face and determines its orientation) That's really it! There are no complications there. Everything from 3DS to alias-wavefront to maya to SI and even good old OpenGL 3D uses these two simple points to represent polygons. I take it you are using 3DS MAX, since this is the newsgroup for it. Do the following! (Reading the Manual would be a good start! but since I guess you don't actually own it I'll give you a couple of pointers.) Use the Edit Mesh and under Gizmos, use FACE to ADD FACES. Depending on whether you select the vertices in Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise rotation, the normal and hence the orientation will be determined. This is the underlying point about not being able to see the polygon you just created. It's facing the other way and -yes- you can flip it! You really ought to read some more on the subject. Try consulting the many excellent tutorials produced by many artist around on the subject. Point to www.3dcafe.com or www.3dsmaxx.com or countless others. The subject of creating low polys is more an art. The more you do it, the quicker and better you get at it. After a while you'll begin to appreciate how much hard effort is put into the simplest of the things. --- >Q: How can I create a quad-patch with more than 25 segments A: Make two patches and join them. Make them with snap turned on, so they fit each other, then select one of them, go to modify, apply edit patch modifier. Turn off subobject mode. Click attach button and pick the second patch. Turn on subobject/vertex and select vertices on the common edge of both patches. Click weld. Now you have one big patch! 5.5 Mesh Modeling ------------------ >Q: What is the difference between "Edit Mesh" and "Editable Mesh"? A: It can get confusing, Editable mesh has many more options than a pure edit mesh modifier. Also collapsing the stack to Editable mesh reduces memory requirements as it doesn't need to store the stack info. With the mesh as Editable, you go into the edit faces bit, select the faces you want, give them an ID and apply a UVW Map modifier to them. You can collapse after each operation or add edit mesh modifiers if you wish. These rules aren't hard and fast, just use whatever option makes sense for what you're doing. You'll find a good little tutorial in the help files that will walk you through the process of using Unwrap. It's not universally useful, but great for real time models and maps. --- >Q: Does anyone know how to bevel the edges of a box? > > Max 2.5 has a bevel modifier but it works only in shapes > and not in objects. Maya NT has a modifier that when > you selected the edge, it can be beveled with different > parameters to choose from and can be used to any edges > of an object. Note: Bevel works on edges in MAX r3! A1: In MAX r3 it's finally possible to bevel edges or whole objetcs. For MAX r2.x users you can try to use the meshsmooth modifier on it. If this isn't giving you want you want, then just use edit mesh and move vertices. A2: So I guess neither of you have had a look at the extended primitives panel yet huh.. :) There's a primitive there called chamfer box. That'll do the trick. A3: You can download the free EditMesh2 plugin, the latest version has a bevel face function in it. Another option is to use the "Extrude" option in Edit Mesh or Editable Mesh. The Extrude lets you choose a height and percentage for the beveled face. A4: This is one of Max's greatest failings in my eyes. There is the ability to bevel faces (with the modified EditMesh2 plugin) but this *adds* a new face with a chamfered edge rather than just extracting a chamfer from an existing mesh. You can also use Booleans to cut pieces from the mesh, but it's only good on simple mesh parts. With this in mind, you should plan all your models with this taken into consideration. You can make models by using methods like extruding chamfered or filleted splines, using Bevel profile to create objects with fillets, chamfers and blends built in at construction time. It can be a pain, but if you plan your modeling carefully, it can be done. Stuff like this is a lot easier in a Solid modeler like SolidWorks or even a good Nurbs program like Rhino. Let's hope Max 3 has some new features like this added to it. A1: You can use the Greeble free plugin that comes with the 3D Studio Max r2.5 f/x book. Just make sure that you turn off "Widgets", otherwise you will end up with all kinds of strange shapes on the face. --- >Q: How can I model a car using 3D MAX 2 or LightWave 5.6? > > I'm looking for a tutorial, thanks!!!! A: Using 3D Studio Max , you can model a very nice car at a very low amount of polys using only the sub-object panels. Here's how I did it on my attempt: 1) Get a straight front, back, and side shot photo of the car you want to build. You don't have to use those orthographic views, anything that gives you a good understanding of the 3D structure of the car will do, but with the ortho view you can use them as a back ground in Max. And with Lock Pan/Zoom it can be really helpful. And you can use the images as material later too. 2) Outline the entire car, sans tires, in the side view. 3) Convert the line to editable mesh 4) Then use Sub-Object > Edge > Divide and Turn to make the seams of the doors and plane breaks. This is where the most of your work will be. 5) Then just start pulling vertices to where they should be in 3 dimensional space. This can get confusing if your mesh is dense so try to keep it low. At this point you should have about 200~300 faces, and only half of the car. There's quite a bit of work here too, but if you divided the car up sufficiently in step 4, you should be fine. 6) Build the tires and rear view mirrors here. Not too tough. 7) Now, mirror the car and attach and weld all the verts. 8) Assign material groups to the car, have the front, side, and back as three separate groups. 9) Add mesh select to the modifier stack for each of the three mat groups. 10) Assign UVW mapping for each Mesh select. 11) use a multi-sub material in the Material Editor and if you have the orthographic images you use them in their respective material slots here. 12) You will probably experience areas where the different material groups don't match up seamlessly. Add Unwrap UVW and then Edit. This is a very intuitive tool but VERY time consuming. You might be saying, "what the heck can I do with 700 polys? a Volvo?" Well. at least that's what I was saying. I was afraid the car will turn out blocky and... well... Volvo-ish. But I was quite pleased. [Image] And one more thing, don't build the wheel wells, use a opacity map (like how I DIDN'T but should have done in this image). You'll get a smoother curve and have lower polys. Same for the wheels. It might seem unnecessarily complex but it's kind of like riding a bike, once you've got it, you've got it. --- >Q: How to make a smooth transition between two objects? > > I am building a jet and I am trying to make smooth transition from one > object to another. For instance where the wing meets the body I do not want > a hard seam. Is there a command that will smooth the two meeting objects? I > am expecting I need to merge the two object into one then apply some type of > modifier but I do not know which to use. A: If you have max 2 you can try the connect function, that will give a smooth blend, otherwise select the vertices around the joint (after a Boolean join) and apply the meshsmooth modifier. Make sure you save the model before doing any Boolean work as you may need to go back if it looks horrible. 5.6 NURBS Modeling ------------------- 5.6.1 NURBS Basic explanations ------------------------------ Mind that the following paragraphs only cover the NURBS functionality up to version 2.0 of 3D Studio MAX. Even the new MAX r2.5 books only very shortly discuss the new NURBS tools (like trim). 1. I don't know how much you know about Nurbs, but generally what you have to do (in Max) is draw a set of nurbs curves arranged as a series of cross-sections that define the shape of surface you want to build. Once the curves are built, you attach them together in the modify panel and perform a "u-loft" on them, joining them one after another until the curves are all surfaced. You then repeat the process for the other surfaces you want to build and finally "blend" the edges of the various surfaces together to form the whole section. Each surface can be rotated and scaled as with any other object. You can adjust the shape of the surfaces with the spline control points or the surface control point depending on how the surface was built in the first place. The other way is to make a normal mesh object and convert it into a nurbs surface which you can then sculpt via the control points, you have the option of adding more surface curves to the object to increase detail in the places you need to work on. If you haven't yet, download the tutorial files from Kinetix and work through the nurbs examples, they will give you an idea of how to proceed with the two main construction methods. Hope this helps. 2. Nurbs are quite a nice way to model, it's not some black art and certainly nothing new to the world, just Max. It's simply another way of constructing surfaces, what you do is create a set of support structures rather like the framework for an aircraft, then, just like an aircraft, you skin it. Although this sounds fairly similar to normal lofting, you don't have the limitations of polygon objects at the end of it. Nurbs are much more flexible, the surface has what are called control points, these work in a similar way to the freeform deformation modifier in that as you pull these around, the skin deforms with it in a smooth, fluid fashion. A control point also has a "weight" setting, this means it has a sphere of influence around it and you adjust this to give either a sharper or smoother bend. If you make a surface and find you need more support structures or frames, you can add these afterwards and then modify the frame and it will deform the skin. Creating extra detail is easy with this method, something you'd have problems with using polygons. You can also convert normal mesh primitives to Nurbs. This lets you start with a fairly good set of building blocks to work from, modifying and adding detail as you go. Surfaces can be lathed, extruded, blended together, lofted but not trimmed. This is a major limitation in Max. It can make some objects a real pain to complete satisfactorily. In the aircraft example above, you'd need holes in the fuselage for the wings, tail-plane, cockpit etc. In a complete set of Nurbs there is a trim option to cut shapes from a surface, Max cannot do this in version R2 so you have to find other ways to get around this (just a side note: MAX r2.5 DOES have this feature). The other major pieces missing are rail lofts and 3 or 4-sided nurbs patches. You can get around these without too much trouble, it just takes time. I hope this gives some idea of what makes Nurbs so powerful and useful, in future releases Max should acquire the full set, until then, Nurbs are a flawed gem...still very desirable, but not perfect. 3. Nurbs are cool because you can use them to quickly create very complex surfaces that are very smooth. Basically, you draw curves representing the contours of an object, then connect them with NURBS surfaces. Changing the curves will change the shape of the mesh. Or, if you prefer, you can use NURBS surfaces like patch grids, pulling them into the right shape. If you want to make very precise changes, you can convert the surfaces to curves, tweak the curves, and regenerate the surfaces. NURBS are kind of like the best of both lofting and patch grids with most of your favorite MESH tools thrown in. They have a million options and can be really frustrating - but you can make very complex objects very quickly. They are worth the upgrade IMHO 5.6.2 Working with NURBS ------------------------ >Q: Is it possible to convert a normal spline into a NURBS point curve? A1: MAX r2.0 - Yes, draw a NURBS curve. Then under 'modify' chose 'attach multiple' and select all of your "normal splines". Goto 'sub-object' 'point' select and delete the NURBS curve that you made at the beginning. You need the first NURBS curve in order to convert your splines. This is way the first NURBS curve is deleted in the end as it is now no longer needed. A2: MAX r2.0 - Yes but not as simple I we might want to. You have to attach the spline to a nurbs curve and then detach it again, then the spline is converted into a nurbs curve.... A3: MAX r2.5 - Convert spline to Editable Spline, then click stack icon again and click convert to: NURBS curve A4: MAX r2.5 - Download a script from http://www.nautilus.com.pl/jarek/max.html that automatically converts splines into nurbs curves --- >Q: How do I convert a NURBS object to an Editable Mesh? A1: Either convert to editable mesh with the stack button or use the Nurbs mesher in the modifications panel. A2: Apply *NURBS Mesher WSM to your NURBS object --- >Q: How do I convert a polygon character model into NURBS? > > I've modeled a male humanoid character from polygons and I would like > to turn him into NURBS. Any ideas? A: Apply a Slice modifier to your mesh and choose Refine Mesh. Don't use Slice button in editable mesh subobject mode. The modifier gives you edge selection. Make a straight vertical or horizontal edge using slice plane. Then collapse stack to editable mesh (important!). Go into subobject/ edge mode - you will see that newly created edge is selected, now click Create Shape button, choose smooth. Repeat this operation until you have enough curves extracted from mesh's surface. Then you can loft them. --- >Q: I'm making spines on a cactus for a close up so they have to look > just right. > > My cactus is a NURBS U-Lofted surface and has distinct ridges of spines > running up and down the trunk. > > Scatter came closest, but I need the spines in a straight line. > Scatter puts the spines on randomly. > > Think of a straight line of trees on hilly ground. Is there any other > automated way to align multiple objects to the skin of an object? A: One way to do it would be this : - create new splines (or NURBS curves) running vertically along each of the ridges from top to bottom of your cactus. These will be used as paths. - create one "spine" object and position it at the top of the cactus on one of the splines - assign a path controller to the "spine" object and choose the spline path as it's path. - now do a snapshot array on the "spine". Here you can specify the number of copies (or instances) you want on each ridge. - repeat for each ridge. --- >Q: NURBS surface goes invisible when I try to move it!! > > When I am trying to move a selected NURBS surface in subject surface level, > the selected NURBS surface will become invisible while I'm hold my mouse's > left button and it will come back after the button released. It is so > annoying that I can't move the surface precisely! > Please tell me help to solve this problem. A: There's an option tick box at Object level in NURBS that lets you choose whether this happens or not. I think it's called surface degradation or something. But please don't post a message in here in a couple of days saying "My NURBS surfaces are moving too slowly! How can I work with them" :) 5.7 Modeling 3D landscape -------------------------- >Q: Is there any way to create 3D-landscapes based on 2D-bitmaps > (for example grey level bitmaps) with 3DS-Studio ? A1: Use the 2D Bitmap as a Displacement Map A2: Use the mesh displacement modifier with a greyscale map. A3: yes, it's called "Displace" and it works on an imported bitmap. However it's quite memory intensive; I'd recommend using a 30x30 grid, applying a UVW map(with channel 1 selected), then slapping on the Displace, quickly followed by an optimize filter. The nice thing about this approach is that you can apply a material based on channel 1 and use bitmaps for opacity and colour or bumps and whatever and pretty tightly match them with the bitmap. A4: Yes! I use the Bryce 3D terrain editor. I create a terrain, copy the image to my clipboard, paste it into PhotoShop, & save it as a bump. I then create a box in MAX R2, give it a length and width of 200 units, a height of 1 unit and give it plenty of segments (length and width) for resolution. Go to edit mode, use displacement modifier, add the .bmp file and viola! A terrain! --- >Q: My terrain generating software, generates triangles in 3DS format. > To minimize the number of triangles used in a scene, I hoped it was > possible to soften the edges in Max by using PONG effect on the > material. > > So far this is not working any good, the terrain get to hard edges > when rendered. A: If I understand you correctly, your problem is with geometry, not materials. If you want to "soften" a polygonal object use a relax modifier on it. To reduce the number of polys, use an optimize modifier. --- >Q: How do I create a landscape based on contour lines? > > I'm trying to create a terrain based on contour lines (i.e. lines that > depict points of equal height) traced from an actual map. The surface > is a bit complicated (going up and down irregularly) and I'm trying to > find what's the best way to model this in MAX. I'd appreciate any help. A1: In MAX r2.5, the NURBS tools would make this easy. Just do a U-loft between each contour line! A2: If you use MAX 1.x then I think there is a commercial plugin called "SurfaceTools" that will do exactly what you are asking. Building faces based on splines. A3: If this doesn't have to be completely accurate you can give a try to the metamountains script. To get it as close to your map as possible, you can trace the splines (or every odd one or so if you want to save time) and move the appropriate splines upwards the appropriate distance. When you activate the script you can create mountains that can be moved about and will blend in seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Use the splines as a rough guide in the front and side views and you can get pretty close. If you want to make this landscape seamless with several other landscapes, you can rewrite a few bits in the script and make it patch based rather than mesh based (so you can do edge welding...it's a little slower though and makes for denser objects). If you want the patch option but are not comfortable with MAXScript, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a modified version of the script. --- >Q: How do I get a landscape in MAX from a DEM file? A: DEM2MAX is an import plugin, that allows you to import landscapes defined in the Digital Elevation Models into 3D Studio Max. It also provides methods to set the color of the landscape depending on the elevation of the faces. Get your favorite landscape into 3D Studio MAX! Look at http://www.habware.at/duck2.htm. If you are looking for DEM's try http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ndcdb.html. This is the motherlode of DEM files. 5.8 Digitizing real models into 3D format ----------------------------------------- >Q: What options are there to "scan" a real object into MAX? > > I am currently taking a traditional sculpture class (I'm a sculpture newbie > :). After struggling with "virtual sculpture" as provided via the modelers > of various 3D programs, I'm finding the experience of mooshing clay around > with my fingers a lot of fun. Quite different from fighting to hide/show > portions of a model to get at a certain vertex, etc. > > The question: Is there any (reasonably) inexpensive way to digitize clay > sculptures? There was a deal on the Microscribe digitizing arm at Siggraph > (I think it was like $2500 or something) which sounded like a lot at the > time, but now I'm thinking was probably worth it... On the other hand, I > know there is Photometric software out there which is relatively cheap - > but I don't believe it has the accuracy for detailed sculptures(?) > > Any thoughts? Other brands of digitizing arms I don't know about? Service > bureaux that take the sculpture and digitize it for you (if so, how much?) > Ways to slice a sculpture up and scan it in on a flatbed scanner? Other > ideas? A: I'm a sculptor/digital artist. (Creating digital 3D art is like sculpting with boxing gloves on. Stick to the analog stuff if you can.) Shoot for a laser scan. The fixed arms are all crap. Many digital projects are created using scans of sculptures-- Toy Story (used wand pointer with/ 3D space tracker), Xena/Hercules etc.. I work with real-time computer models so no need for a scanner, but sure resources are easily available on Net. Just a few years ago the cheapest flatbed 2D scanner was $1,000 or so. Now they are $100. I hope the same price reductions are happening in the laser scanner/ CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) industry. Good luck. 5.9 Compound Objects -------------------- 5.9.1 Boolean ------------- >Q: How do I use Boolean and what can be done to prevent problems? > > In MAX r1.0, r1.2 and r2.0 the Boolean operation often causes > trouble. The Boolean function was re-written for MAX r2.5 and is > now called Boolean2. Even though there now exist a more reliable > Boolean operation for MAX 2.5 and 3 many users still struggle with > the old r?.?, r1.2 and r2.0 versions. Below you will find some short > and handy tips on how to minimize these problems. A1: If you have a user account on the Kinetix homepage site, there is an excellent write up on doing Boolean operations Here are some points to consider when using Booleans: 1) Each operand must have an intact surface topology. (see point 6 below) That means no missing, no overlapping faces and no unwelded vertices. The surface should be one continuous closed surface (mind though that a real unclosed object like Patch Grid is also considered as a valid Boolean object, and yes - this is a little fussy!). Look at the surface in a shaded mode with smoothing applied - suspect any place that the smoothing does not look right. Max has a great tool for checking a mesh - temporarily apply the STL-CHECK modifier and click the "Check" box near the bottom. You can set it to highlight either faces or edges where there are problems and report how many errors it finds. To fix, use the vertex weld (target) and build face tools. You can turn on "Force 2-Sided" in the viewport configuration and look for rogue faces in a mesh. Another point while on the subject of surface integrity: All the Face Normals of an operand must be consistent. If not, the Boolean can get massively confused. For example, flipped normals can turn a Boolean intersection into a Boolean subtraction! Things get worse if some faces are facing one way and adjacent faces are flipped. As well as using the shaded viewport to look for normal problems, you can turn on "Show Normals" in the editable mesh sub-obj/face rollout. Fix normals here or with a Normal modifier. Normal problems are often seen on geometry imported from CAD programs. 2) Each operand should consist of only one "element" in the area of the Boolean, i.e., you should not attach two meshes together and then try to subtract a third mesh that overlaps more than one element. If the object is a mesh, you can use the Element selection tool under sub-obj/Face to see which parts of a mesh are a single element. 3) I find that Booleans often work best if between one of the operands is a relatively simple object (such as a box). Two complex objects often cause problems. The reason is that everywhere two faces intersect in space, a new edge and vertices must be added - with complex objects the chance of success diminishes. The Booleans in 3DS/Max work surprisingly well considering the complexity of the algorithm, but they are not yet perfect. The exception to this is if using a simple object will result in too many long skinny faces (see point 5 below), in which case it is best to segment the intersecting face somewhat to create more vertices for the 4) For persistent problems, "jog" or move one operand slightly with respect to the other. Problems arise if two vertices are _extremely_ close to each other in space, two faces are co-planar or two edges are co-linear. Max makes it easy to adjust one operand and instantly see the result - just go into the Boolean sub-obj/Operand mode, pick one operand from the list, and move it a little. Turn on Show Hidden Ops and turn on viewport shading to make this much easier. Sometimes I read advice to tessellate one or both operands, probably to solve the same problem, but this has never been too successful for me. If more faces are needed (see 5 below), I think it is better to add them without tessellation. 5) The Boolean algorithm does not seem to like very long skinny faces. (see point 6) Turn on the edge display of the mesh and examine the edges carefully. I like to use the low-level mesh editing tools, especially the edge Turn tool to fix skinny faces. This takes a little practice to use effectively, but it is well worth the effort. When creating primitives that will be used in a Boolean, add enough segments to eliminate long skinny faces. For example, add a few height segments on a long cylinder. When lofting, lathing, extruding, or otherwise creating a mesh from a spline that will later be part of a Boolean, plan the spline to eliminate problem faces from the beginning. One way to check a spline is to temporarily apply an Edit Mesh modifier, turn on the edge display, and look for long, skinny faces. These can generally be eliminated immediately by dropping back to the spline in the stack and adding a few well placed vertices around the perimeter of the spline with the refine tool, clicking on the "Show End Result" button to check the result. I also like to segment a spline by hand and make all the segments linear instead of relying on the automatic curve segmentation - this puts vertices and faces exactly where I want them in the result. When lofting an object intended for a Boolean, make sure the shape is closed before lofting and doesn't just look closed - weld the vertices if necessary. 6) Special care is required for multiple Booleans on the same object. The result of a Boolean, by necessity when working with mesh object, is a whole bunch of added little faces and vertices. Since life is not yet perfect, the result may be an imperfect mesh with some of the problems mentioned in above (1, 5). Because of this, after each Boolean operation it is best to collapse the result into an editable mesh, examine it carefully for problems, and make sure they are fixed before going to the next step. Failure to do this will assure failure of the Boolean - it is guaranteed to get worse at every step! I like to: - zoom way in and look carefully at the result - use the STL-CHECK to verify the surface integrity - adjust the operands if necessary - collapse the stack to a mesh - select and weld all vertices - use vertex weld/target, face create, etc. to fix any surface problems - use edge turn and divide to adjust any long skinny faces In addition, you most likely need to work on the edges where the two operands meet - there may be a bunch of tiny faces around the edge that add no value and cause all kinds of problems later. I generally zoom way in and manually drag-weld extra vertices using the vertex weld/target tool. This collapses the unnecessary faces and makes the next Boolean much more likely to succeed. Max makes it easy to see what is going on with the 3D vertex snap and "Edged Faces" viewport shading mode. Save all intermediate Boolean results before collapsing by either hiding a copy or writing just that object to a separate file. If you need to create an animated Boolean on a multi-Booleaned object, plan the construction so that the last Boolean is the animated one. If you need to undo a Boolean, be sure to undo far enough back - for example undoing a Pick does not undo the Create Boolean operation - use the undo on the Edit menu to make sure. 7) Some people recommend to turn the Boolean Optimize off. Taken from an excellent write-up by John K. Jordan A2: Re Boolean and MAX objects - MAX objects are hollow! It's simple, Max uses surfaces, not solids. In the real world, If you put a large box inside your bedroom and tried to subtract the box from the room, nothing would happen as it's in fresh air, it's the same with Max. All Max's objects are hollow, if one is completely inside the other there isn't anything it can do with them, they need to overlap so the two surfaces can interact. It's a different story with true solids though as they have substance all the way through, Unfortunately Max has yet to acquire these. A3: Although I'm no expert on MAX (yet..) I have done a lot of Boolean stuff with many packages, including 3ds r1 through 3, ansys FEA, I-deas, etc. Mostly with the real need for a clean and closed result. Here's what I found in general about Boolean operations in ALL packages. 1) The ratio of lines (length and width) should be approximately the same, and as simple as possible. VERY IMPORTANT! if you try to Boolean a object with long lines to a ref object with many short, the operation may work, but the results will be less desirable... subdivide and maintain clean lines. general rule of thumb for FEA meshing (very critical meshes) has been to try to shoot for less than 4/1 ratio of the width/length on any face... 2) the cleanest booleans are with straight non- curved lines... you can combine a curve, but it may turn back on itself, especially if SMOOTH points are selected... go edit as many points as possible and select CORNER if you can instead. Also, select as many interfacing lines and make them straight lines, not curves... if ya can. 3) disaster usually results when a curve meets a curve... this confuses many packages often, especially with long curves and complex handles. the more the handle pull away from the normal of a point at a distance, the more chance it will turn back on itself when cut or dissected. So, the Boolean will either fail, lose faces or flip the faces on ya. In general, combine on curve with one straight line, or two curves with approximately the same ratio of length to width points as the target object. If ya do these simple rules, you can make simple, great fast and complex booleans with well matched and aligned faces every time... It's especially important to follow these rules with an aligned face. Make them as straight and coplanar as possible, and the Boolean aligns them fine... Excuse spelling, had to write this in a hurry ;-) I did an extensive check on a complex object using MAX r 1.2 and this guideline worked fine. A4: >simple thing: when I create a Boolean from e.g. a sphere and a box, >everything works quite fine. But when I use two spheres, one of them >noise-modified, Boolean operations simply don't work! How come? >Collapsing or optimizing didn't help A few things you might want to try: - move either operand slightly before the operation, sometimes the way the faces are aligned with one another affects the operation. - if an object is a instance or a reference it sometimes has an affect (quite a bit lately for me in fact). Try making a fresh object, or a basic copy if you have to reproduce an object to use in a Boolean. - make sure that your one operand is not entirely inside another, there has to be some intersection of faces for it to work. - and lastly....there is always the option of making a small sacrifice to the god of booleans (quite a fickle fellow, he is) 5.9.2 Morphing -------------- >Q: How do I morph an object with different numbers of vertices? > > I am trying to morph an object into another object. They objects have a > different number of vertices. Is this possible? If not could someone > please help me with this dilemma. A1: The 3D Studio MAX "Morph" command can not morph two objects that have different numbers of vertices. A2: If the objects have different number of vertices you can use "conform" instead of morph, and that CAN work. Results will vary depending upon models. A3: In addition to 3D morphing, do not forget 2D post-processing morphing using some suitable program, like Elastic Reality. Sometimes it works better and also looks better. +==============================================================================+ | - 6 - Materials | +==============================================================================+ 6 Materials ----------- 6.1 Basics ---------- >Q: What is a "shader"? A: As you probably know, the word "Shader" comes from Renderman where you actually program how a surface has to behave. So a shader is a piece of code to control surface properties. (Un)fortunately, MAX is an object-oriented and very open system, where the functionality supplying a surface with any kind of property descriptions is split into different plug-in classes. In order to describe a surface, you have the following elements all working together to build up what could be called a "shader": *Face Smoothing groups and surface/vertex normals (in the mesh itself) *Materials - an object class which describes the "root" of a "shader". Note that some of them behave differently not only based on the information described below (maps and shading types), but, in the case of Top/Bottom, DoubleSided, Falloff etc. also based on Normal Vector info (see above) *SHADING Types - a separate class (r3!) providing the maths to represent the behavior of a surface when put into light. (How does the diffuse color mix with the ambient and specular? Where does the shadow (ambient) color start and the diffuse end? What properties does the specular highlight have? Is it smooth or crisp? What is its form and orientation?) All the above is provided by the shading types, Blinn, Phong, Anisotropic, Metal etc. Since the former Constant shading type was based on the mesh's smoothing groups info only, it is now a simple switch, so you can have a constant (facetted) Blinn or Metal material by just ignoring smoothing groups. *Mapping Channels - these control the variable properties of the root material by inserting either procedural or bitmap (pixel) information provided by *Maps - these provide 2D or 3D arrays of values which can control the spatial behavior of the shader - variable property in every point of the surface. They can be procedural (calculated with a formula) or explicit (bitmaps). Now imagine all the above working together (that's what they do anyway :o) You have got something that could be called a "Shader". Of course, sometimes people call the Procedural Maps "Shaders" probably because they are the part that most visibly changes surface properties (like you download a "Stratos" shader by Ishani and you get a Sky :o). I also think the word is used in books partly to avoid redundant use of the word "procedural map", and partly to make the whole sound more "high- end" (read: Renderman-like) --- >Q: What is the difference between Shading types Blinn, Constant, Phong > and Metal? A: * 'Constant' shading is what is known as 'Flat shading' with this shading each polygonal facet will be just that flat. * 'Gouraud' shading is the next step and it takes the differance between 2 polygons and it creates a smooth gradient to hide the polygon edge it also alows for highlights from light sources, [the interactive viewports in MAX use this] this is also the preffered shading used in video games. * 'Phong' shading was envented quite a while ago and it allows real light source accurate highlights hi-Quality bump mapping and reflections. * 'Blinn' shading was designed by a guy whos last name was BLINN and is simply phong with less harsh highlights which makes things more realistic and less plasticy. * 'Metal' is like Blinn but has sharper highlights. --- >Q: How do I apply a bitmap to my 3D object? A: In the pull down menu there is an option called 'material editor', open that you will see 6 pictures of spheres each representing a different material. If you select one, in the lower section of the window are the material settings, if you drag that list up you will come to a section called 'maps', next to the word 'Diffuse' click on the button marked 'None', when you do this you will see a list of options asking you what you would like to put into the diffuse slot of this material, select 'bitmap', in the settings for bitmap you will see a button that will allow you to choose the picture that you want to use for the material. Add more maps to the other slots as necessary, adjust settings as needed and name the material. Then below the 6 pictures of spheres you will find a button that will allow you to add this material to your library. There you have it. --- >Q: How do I get my bitmaps to show in the Shaded Viewport? A: In the material editor, click the rubrics cube looking thing and voila, the maps will show in the viewports for that material. Repeat for all others you want to show in the viewports. Mind though that you can only see 2D maps in your Shaded Viewports (i.e. like bitmaps, checkers, gradients and also some plugins like noise2d, cellular2d, digi-gradient and others). 3D maps will only show when you do a Render.