| Introducing the Other Spline Types   169 Table 3.2: Creation Methods for Splines (continued) Spline Name and Function Creation Method Creation Options* Parameters* Ellipse—Draws ellipses Click first tangent edge and drag for other edge [Edge] Or click center and drag for edge [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width Donut—Draws a donut shape: two concentric circles Click first point on circumference and drag for second point on circumference; click for second radius [Edge] Or click center and drag for first radius; click for second radius [Center] Edge/Center Radius 1, Radius Star—Draws star shape Click center and drag for first radius; click again for second radius Helix—Draws a 3D helix (spiral) Click first circumference point, drag second circumference point, click height, click second radius [Edge] Or click center, drag first radius, click height, and click second radius [Center] Radius 1, Radius 2, [number of] Points [of star], Distortion [twist], Fillet Radius 1, Fillet Radius Edge/Center Radius 1, Radius 2, Height, Turns, Bias, CW [clockwise]/CCW [counterclockwise] *Items separated by a slash (/) denote radio button options Italics denote button group names You may want to experiment by creating some different splines in a separate file Remember that you can extrude most of them into the third dimension by using the Extrude or Bevel modifiers and the Loft compound object, which extrudes a shape along a spline path (you’ll learn about lofting in Chapter 7, “Organizing and Editing Objects”) Common parameters among all of the shape primitives are found in the Rendering and Interpolation rollouts In the Rendering rollout, you can force 3ds Max to render a two-dimensional spline as if it were a three-dimensional object complete with surfaces The Interpolation rollout contains controls for adjusting the number of steps, or straight segments, between each vertex The more steps a shape has, the smoother the curves are, but this results in a more complex object when the shape is lofted or extruded In addition to the Splines group of objects that are created from the Shapes tool, there are also NURBS curves and a small library of newer shapes called Extended Splines consisting of common structural steel cross sections The NURBS Curves and Extended Splines options are accessed from the drop-down list above the Object Type rollout when the Shapes button is active Table 3.3 discusses the Extended Spline types and options 170  | Chapter 3  Creating Shapes with Splines Table 3.3: Creation Methods for Extended Splines Spline Name and Function Creation Method Creation Options* Parameters* WRectangle—Draws offset rectangular splines with or without corner radii Click first corner and drag for other corner; then click for inner offset [Edge] Or click center and drag for corner, and then click for inner offset [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width, Thickness, Sync Corner Fillets, Corner Radius 1, Corner Radius Angle—Draws an “L” shape Click first corner and drag for other corner; then click for inner offset [Edge] Or click center and drag for corner, and then click for inner offset [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width, Thickness, Sync Corner Fillets, Corner Radius 1, Corner Radius 2, Edge Radii Wide Flange—Draws an “I” shape Click first corner and drag for other corner; then click for inner offset [Edge] Or click center and drag for corner; then click for inner offset [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width, Thickness, Corner Radius Channel—Draws a “C” shape Click first corner and drag for other corner; then click for inner offset [Edge] Or click center and drag for corner, and then click for inner offset [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width, Thickness, Sync Corner Fillets, Corner Radius 1, Corner Radius Tee—Draws a “T” shape Click first corner and drag for other corner; then click for inner offset [Edge] Or click center and drag for corner; then click for inner offset [Center] Edge/Center Length, Width, Thickness, Corner Radius *Items separated by a slash (/) denote radio button options Editing Splines You’ve seen how you can edit the rectangle and line through the Modify tab of the Command panel In most cases, you need to select the Edit Spline modifier from the Modifier List dropdown to gain access to the sub-object levels of a spline where parametric controls are usually shown | Editing Splines   171 The exception to this is the Line spline, which will display its sub-object level options as soon as you select the Modify tab Once you’ve selected Edit Spline, you can make changes to the vertices, segments, or splines by entering the corresponding sub-object level of the Edit Spline modifier You can even attach or detach components of a spline to create new forms, as you’ll see in the next chapter Another way to access a spline’s sub-object level is to convert it into an editable spline This is accomplished by right-clicking the object name in the modifier stack and selecting Convert To: Editable Spline from the context menu You can also right-click the object in the viewport and choose Convert to  Convert to Editable Spline from the quad menu This exposes the sub-object level of the selected spline in a way similar to the Edit Spline modifier, but it does so by permanently converting the spline to an editable spline The spline then loses its parametric functions After modifying a spline’s sub-objects using the Edit Spline modifier, especially if vertices are added or removed, editing the spline at its top level may yield unpredictable results For this reason, converting a parametric shape into an editable spline is often preferred over using the Edit Spline modifier If you want to experiment with the spline’s sub-objects but are not sure if the end result will be adequate, use the Edit Spline modifier first If the desired shape is created, convert the object into an editable spline If not, simply delete the modifier to return the shape to its unaltered configuration In this chapter, you have learned how to draw splines with the traditional tools in 3ds Max Design 2011 The Graphite Modeling Tools provide some alternate ways to sketch splines that can be used for many purposes For example, you can use the Polydraw panel to sketch splines on grids or on the topology of other Edit Poly objects that can automatically create polygons when you create quadrilaterals with the splines you draw | Chapter 3  172  Creating Shapes with Splines Collapsing to an Editable Spline Reduces Memory Usage Collapsing a spline with modifiers to an editable spline helps reduce the memory usage for your scene 3ds Max must use additional memory from your system in order to maintain the parameters of objects as well as the modifiers in the stack If you convert a spline to an editable spline, 3ds Max no longer needs to draw on that additional memory for the spline As your scene becomes larger, these memory issues become more important On the other hand, using the Edit Spline modifier consumes more memory than converting a primitive spline shape to an editable spline, but you have the best of both worlds—parametric and explicit control Placing and Beveling Text 3ds Max treats text as a parametric spline with parameters that control many features found in word processing software Text can be justified, bold, and italicized; the space between letters can be adjusted (kerned); the space between lines can be adjusted (leaded); and the 3ds Max text object can use any Windows fonts 3ds Max is far from a robust text editor, but you will find most of the tools necessary to add text-based geometry to your scenes, including cutting and pasting text from TXT files into the Text tool’s Text field You’ve noticed that, when you create objects, they are created on and oriented to either the home grid or a user grid 3ds Max also has the ability to create grids on the fly using the surfaces of scene geometry as the basis for the grid’s location and orientation This feature is accessed by checking the AutoGrid check box in the Object Type rollout AutoGrid is available whenever you create any type of geometry or shape primitive and remains active until the box is unchecked The following exercises explain the use of Text, AutoGrid, and the Bevel modifier: Choose File  Open and open the Signage.max file from the book’s companion web page The file consists of a rectangular sign with a curved border, as shown in Figure 3.85 The sign has been rotated off the home grid Click Create  Shapes  Splines in the Command panel Figure 3.85 The rectangular sign from the Signage.max file | Placing and Beveling Text   173 Click the Text button in the Object Type rollout and then select the AutoGrid check box Drag your cursor over the sign in the viewport and notice that the axis tripod orients its axes to whichever face the cursor is over at any given time, as shown in Figure 3.86 With the cursor over the central part of the sign, click the mouse to place the default “MAX Text” text in the scene and on top of the sign The text is created, but it is too large for the sign (see Figure 3.87) Uncheck AutoGrid Figure 3.86 With the AutoGrid feature active, the axis tripod orients itself to the face over which the cursor is placed Figure 3.87 Placing new text on the board with AutoGrid turned on The Start New Shape Option You may have noticed the Start New Shape option near the top of the Splines Object Type rollout When this option is unchecked, each shape created becomes a spline sub-object of a greater spline object, rather than individual, parametric spline objects This option is checked by default In the Parameters rollout, select a font from the drop-down list and then adjust the Size value to change the text to a more appropriate size Select the text in the Text field and replace it with the words that you want to appear on your sign | Chapter 3  174  Creating Shapes with Splines Different fonts can yield different results when modifiers are applied to them This is usually the result of using a font with tight corners or thin areas, and then beveling the text in such a manner that it is forced to cross over itself In other cases the fonts are designed poorly and don’t work well when extruded or beveled This exercise uses the Book Antiqua Bold font with a Size parameter set to 2´3˝ Cycling Through the Font Options With the font highlighted in the Parameters rollout, use the up and down arrow keys to cycle through the fonts and observe how each looks in the viewports If you use the arrows in the numeric keypad, make sure Num Lock is not turned on The text assumes the characteristics that you assigned, but its location on the sign is too low To move it properly, you must use the Local Reference Coordinate System, which uses the X-, Y-, and Z-orientation of the selected object rather than using the World Coordinate System Click the Select and Move button on the Main Toolbar To the right of the transform tools, expand the Reference Coordinate System drop-down list and select Local as shown in Figure 3.88 Select the text and notice that the Move Transform gizmo is oriented to the text Place the cursor over the XY-plane handle and move the text into place, as shown in Figure 3.89 Figure 3.88 Choose the Local coordinate system Figure 3.89 Moving the text into place Most real-world objects that you will find outside of a machine shop not have perpendicular faces that join at sharp angles They usually have a curved (filleted) or straight (chamfered) transition between the surfaces Although it may not be obvious visually, this transition in your scene will appear more realistic to the viewers by creating a condition that they are used to seeing With proper lighting, the transition surfaces can generate a specular highlight, subtly | Placing and Beveling Text   175 calling attention to the condition The Extrude modifier does not provide for a fillet or chamfer, but these features can be found in the Bevel modifier’s option, as explained in the following steps Although this example uses text, the Bevel modifier can be used with any spline The Bevel modifier’s Bevel Values group has controls for setting the height and outline amount at three different locations perpendicular to the spline’s current location The Outline value is an offset size that the shape assumes, at the specified Height value, relative to its original size Add the Bevel modifier to your text using the following steps: Select the text, click the Modify tab, and then choose Bevel from the Modifier List drop-down In the Bevel Values rollout, set the Level Height parameter to 3˝ and leave Outline set to 0.0˝ This will generate an initial straight segment for the letters Check the Level check box Set the Level Height to 0.25˝ and the Outline to -0.25˝ Zoom into the letters to see the chamfered effect of the Bevel modifier, as shown in Figure 3.90 In the Parameters rollout, select Curved Sides in the Surface group, set Segments to 4, and select the Smooth Across Levels check box These settings will generally soften the transition between levels and, when a small Outline value is present, can create a ridge around the perimeter of the splines, as shown in Figure 3.91 Figure 3.90 The chamfered effect of the Bevel modifier Figure 3.91 Smoothing the transition between surfaces 176  | Chapter 3  Creating Shapes with Splines The Bottom Line Draw shapes with splines ​ Two-dimensional splines can be used as the building blocks for  ​ more complex, three-dimensional objects You can draw splines from scratch using the Line tool or start with a parametric shape and then collapse it to an editable spline Master It ​ Create a rainbow-shaped set of splines—in other words, a series of concen ​ tric arcs Outline and extrude splines ​ Outlining splines provides a way to create a new spline sub ​ object that parallels the original This is faster and more accurate than creating the second spline manually and then attaching it to the original Extruding splines is the most common method for creating 3D objects from 2D splines Master It ​ A column surround is a shell that covers a structural column to give it a more  ​ appealing appearance Create a 16´-tall, 2˝-thick, semicircular column surround with a 16´ outside radius Modify closed splines with Boolean tools ​ Nearly any shape can be formed using the  ​ standard Editable Spline two or more simple shapes and combine them for a more complex shape Master It ​ Using the spline Boolean tools, create the cross-sectional shape of a fluted  ​ column, similar to the shape shown here Chapter Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects In the three previous chapters, you spent some time becoming familiar with 3ds Max In this chapter, you’ll continue exploring 3ds Max’s features while exercising your newfound skills You’ll start by learning how to add openings to the walls you created in Chapter 3, “Creating Shapes with Splines.” Then you’ll learn how you can import scanned images that you can use to trace In the process of tracing a floor plan, you’ll further explore methods for creating and editing forms using splines You’ll also be introduced to ways you can edit the extruded shapes that you have created, as well as edit any other mesh object In this chapter, you’ll learn to: •u Create openings with ProBoolean operations •u Designate a modeling template image •u Create and modify objects using box modeling •u Attach objects to a mesh •u Create clones with Array and Snapshot Creating Openings in a Wall with Boolean Operations In Chapter 3, you created a set of walls that completely enclosed a space Now you need to add wall openings between the enclosed spaces of your model To this, you’ll use Boolean operations to remove portions of a wall A Brief History of Booleans Boolean operations are named after George Boole, who developed a mathematical branch of symbolic logic Boolean logic includes AND, OR, and NOT operators, which correspond to geometric union, intersection, and subtraction Boolean operations are methods you can use to join two objects, subtract the shape of one object from another, or obtain a shape that is the intersection of two objects Figure 4.1 illustrates the effect of Boolean operations on some sample shapes | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 178  Star Figure 4.1 Box Examples of Boolean operations Box union star Outline of box and star shown for clarity Box intersect star Box subtract star 3ds Max allows you to use two existing objects to form one new object using Boolean operations The original objects are referred to as the operands of the Boolean operations, and they are not deleted when the operation is performed; they become sub-objects of the resultant Boolean object In the following exercise, you’ll use a simple box to define the opening in your walls The existing wall is one operand, and the box that forms the opening is the other operand 3ds Max now has the ProBoolean and ProCutter compound objects The ProBoolean compound object has the classic three Boolean operations and adds Merge, Attach, and Insert You can also use the Imprint and Cookie Cutter options to further enhance your operations The ProBoolean tools keep the history of operations; you can modify the operators or change the ordering of operators anytime you want You can even change an operation’s type (for example, change a subtracted operand to a union operand) The ProBoolean operations create better geometry than the original Boolean tools in 3ds Max They provide you enormous flexibility in creating objects for your visualizations Hiding Shapes That Get in the Way Start by setting up your wall model and creating an object you’ll use to subtract from the walls Open the My_Walls.max model you created in the previous chapter, or open MyWalls04 max that you downloaded from www.sybex.com/go/mastering3dsmaxdesign2011 If your 3ds Max window shows only a single viewport, click the Maximize Viewport Toggle to view the four viewports You’ll need to hide the ceiling of your model in order to more easily work on the model Here’s a quick way to temporarily hide objects if they’re in your way | Creating and Modifying Objects Using Box Modeling   251 Make sure Pinch and Bubble are set to zero, then use the Select and Move tool to move the selected vertices down in the Z-axis The move transform is applied in a graduated effect over the soft selection, and the wall is given a gentle, graceful undulation, as shown in Figure 4.138 Try the same thing on the opposite wall for practice Select the vertices at the end of the wall, near the outdoor altar, rather than adding a curve in the middle Your wall should look something like Figure 4.139 If the bottom of the wall is affected, move those vertices back into place by turning off the soft selection, and use the Transform gizmo on vertices one at a time or in small groups You can right-click the Z transform type-in to zero out (flatten) the vertices Save your work as MyRonchamp_curvedWalls.max Figure 4.138 Curved wall created with soft selection Figure 4.139 Curving the east wall Using the Transform Toolbox Another tool that can be helpful in your daily use of Editable Poly objects in 3ds Max Design 2011 is the Transform Toolbox Choose Edit  Transform Toolbox to display the floating toolbox, as shown in Figure 4.140 The toolbox allows you to easily rotate, scale, adjust the pivot points, and move/clone objects in your scene The toolbox is divided into four sections: the Rotate tools, Size tools, Align Pivot tools, and the Object tools The Transform Toolbox is dockable to any side of the 3ds Max user interface | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 252  Figure 4.140 The floating Transform Toolbox The Rotate group of tools will rotate a selected object or sub-object clockwise or counterclockwise based on the current view You can select the amount of rotation in degrees by using the presets in the provided drop-down, or by entering a value in the Degrees field You can type in a value or use the spinners Continue from your previous file, or open Ronchamp_pew.max If you haven’t already opened the Transform Toolbox, choose Edit  Transform Toolbox to display the dialog box Select the Pew Support object you created in the previous series of exercises Isolate this object by pressing Alt+Q Click the drop-down in the Rotate group of the toolbox and select the 30 Degrees preset In the Top viewport, click the clockwise-curving arrow See how your pew support has changed its rotation, as shown in Figure 4.141 Press Ctrl+Z or the Undo Scene Operation button on the Quick Access toolbar to return the pew support to its original rotation When using this tool with Perspective, User, or Camera viewports, you have to watch for which axis the object is rotated around Figure 4.141 The rotated pew support | Creating and Modifying Objects Using Box Modeling   253 The Size group of the toolbar does not directly resize the object as if you were adjusting parameters in the Modify tab; it acts like the Scale command that you were introduced to in Chapter 1, “Getting to Know 3ds Max Design 2011.” The tool can calculate the current size of an object in a given dimension and, based on the new measurement you enter, the tool will figure out the correct scaling factor to apply to the object to make it the desired size If you look at the parameters of a primitive object that you have resized, you will see the sizes are the original values This can be a very helpful tool in adjusting your models, but you need to be aware of the impact of using this tool on your objects Select the pew support again and click the Get button in the Size group of the Transform Toolbox The Get button queries the selected object and returns the bounding box dimensions of the object in a new Size dialog box, shown in Figure 4.142 The pew is 23 inches tall, which seems too short In the Transform Toolbox’s Size field, enter 26 and make sure the Z radio button is selected Click the Set Size button This will scale your pew to be 26˝ in height See Figure 4.143 Figure 4.142 The Size dialog box is returned when you click the Get button Figure 4.143 The pew support scaled to 26 inches tall The Align Pivot tools allow you to easily modify an object’s pivot point to help with modeling and scene building operations, applying modifiers to shapes or objects, or animating the objects in you scenes You can quickly move the object’s pivot point to the Minimum, Maximum, or center of the object in any given dimension, or you can set the pivot point right on the scene’s World Origin regardless of the object’s current position, which can be helpful for creating radial | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 254  arrays You will learn to use radial arrays later in this chapter Changes to the object’s pivot take effect immediately; there is no Apply button, so be careful The Object tools section has two buttons: Center and QClone The Center tool ​ This moves the currently selected object so that its pivot point is on the  ​ scene origin (0,0,0) This can be helpful for when you need to reset an object that isn’t near the origin, or if you want to use the Save Selected option to extract an object from a scene The QClone (Quick Clone) button ​ This creates a copy of an object directly to the right (off ​ set by the object’s width) in the current viewport Three keyboard modifiers enhance the way the QClone tool works If you hold down the Shift key and press QClone, you will make an instanced copy of the selected object If you hold down the Alt key, QClone will make two copies of the object If you hold down Shift+Alt, you will create two instances of the original object Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot As you saw earlier, clones, particularly instanced clones, are great time-savers in 3ds Max Using the Shift key in conjunction with any of the transform tools (Move, Rotate, or Scale), you can quickly create multiple copies by entering a value in the Number of Copies input box Each subsequent clone will be created at the same interval as the initial from the original object clone This is adequate when only one transform is required for a clone operation The Array and Snapshot tools both create organized patterns of clones with much more creative control than the Shift+Transform clone methods The Array tool creates patterns in three magnitudes of complexity: 1D, 2D, and 3D A 1D array moves, rotates, and scales an object’s clones in an axis or combination of axes to create a row of cloned objects The 2D and 3D array options are used to create fields (2D) of the first array or stacks (3D) of the 2D array The Snapshot tool creates clones of animated objects at any time interval you choose An instanced clone retains a parameter link to all other instances while the Copy option creates an object that holds the animated object’s shape only at the time that it was cloned Creating a Pew Grid with Array The pews must be repeated over a grid pattern to lay out the seating for the congregation inside the main space This makes the pew layout a fine example for explaining the Array tool Open the file Array_Pew.max This consists of a single column created from an Extended Spline primitive and the Extrude modifier Select the Pew_LeftSupport object, and then right-click in the Top viewport to activate it Right-click a blank area of any toolbar and select Extras from the shortcut menu (see Figure 4.144) to open the Extras toolbar if it isn’t already open In the Extras toolbar, click the Array tool Figure 4.144 Opening the Extras toolbar | Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot   255 The Array dialog box that opens (see Figure 4.145) may appear formidable at first, but it is broken down into a few logical groups At the top of the dialog box is the Array Transformation section Input information into the left (Incremental) side to specify the distance, degrees, or percentage difference between each clone, and 3ds Max will transform each clone per the input values Input information into the right side (Totals) of the Array Transformation section to specify the distance, degrees, or percentage difference between the original object and the last clone created 3ds Max divides the total value by the number of clones to determine the incremental value Both halves are arranged in columns and rows, with the columns determining the axes in which each transform is affected Enter data in the top row to set the distance between clones, the middle row to set the angular displacement, and the bottom row to set the percentage change between each clone Figure 4.145 The Array dialog box contains controls for creating arrays of clones Incremental Values When working with incremental values, it’s important to understand that each increment is applied to the clones in relation to the state of the previous clone For example, a 15-degree Z-rotation increment rotates each clone 15 degrees more than the previous clone’s rotation This is especially important when working with the Scale transform in the Array dialog If a tubular column is 10´0˝ tall and the Incremental X Scale value in the Array dialog box is set to 10´ and the Z Scale value is set to 90 percent, how many columns are created before the Z height becomes zero? The answer is that the height will never be zero because each 90-percent Z-scale reduction is applied to the total height of the current column The first clone will be 9´0˝ tall, the next will be 8´1˝ (90 percent of 9´0˝), then 7´3˝, and so on The Type of Object section at the bottom of the Array dialog box contains controls for specifying the type of clones to create The Array Dimensions section contains controls for the type of array and the offset distance between 2D and 3D arrays The Preview button generates a preview in the viewports for your review before the array operation is committed In the following exercise, you create a 3D array of pews using the Array dialog box: Turn on the Preview button Enter -2´ 9˝ in the X Incremental input box, make sure the Instance radio button is checked in the Type of Object section, and enter in the 1D Count input box (see Figure 4.146), and then click the OK button The viewport displays a series of seven columns at 2´ 9˝ increments, as shown in Figure 4.147 The last object created is the currently selected object | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 256  Figure 4.146 The settings in the Array dialog box Figure 4.147 The seven supports created using the Array dialog box No Viewport Changes Are Available in Preview Mode The Array Preview tool can be useful when you’re creating a complex array One drawback is that, when in Preview mode, you cannot zoom or pan in a viewport to inspect a sprawling array Click the Undo button in the Main Toolbar or press the Ctrl+Z to undo the array Click the Array tool again and notice that the previous settings remain in the Array dialog box In the Array Dimensions area, click the 2D radio button and enter in the 2D Count input box Click the Preview button It appears as if nothing happened because the six copies of the array are collocated over the original array There was no offset specified in the Array dialog box Click the Preview button again to exit the Preview mode In the Array Dimensions area, enter 4´ 5˝ in the Y Incremental Row input box for the 2D array to create clones of the pew supports to fill the trapezoidal base evenly The dialog box should look like Figure 4.148 Click the Preview button again This time all the supports appear in the viewport, as shown in Figure 4.149 There’s an extra pew support object you can delete, and then select the bench object and array it Repeat the process for the kneepad and prayerbook-rest objects Your finished array should look like Figure 4.150 Save your file as MyRonchamp_PewArray.max | Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot   257 Figure 4.148 The Array Dimensions section of the Array dialog box should now look like this Figure 4.149 The pew supports created using the 2D Array Dimensions option Figure 4.150 The finished pew array As you can see, the Array tool can quickly and accurately construct many clones in a structured pattern The tool can also be used to form clones with multiple transforms applied simultaneously, as you will see in the next exercise Creating a Multitransform Polar Array A polar array is an array with an angular displacement controlling the spacing between objects, rather than a lateral increment In 3ds Max, when you rotate an object, it is rotated about its pivot To effectively create a polar array, you need to first move the pivot point away from the geometry of the object Open the Array Polar.max file This consists of a single, short tubular column Select the column Click the Hierarchy button in the Command panel to access the hierarchy and Pivot tools | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 258  Ensure that the Pivot option is selected at the top of the Hierarchy panel and then click the Affect Pivot Only button in the Adjust Pivot rollout The button (see Figure 4.151) turns blue and the axis tripod changes shape in the viewports Click the Select and Move tool and then, in the Top viewport, move the pivot point to the left, near the origin Be sure to click and drag on the red X-axis to restrict the movement to a single direction Only the pivot point moves while the geometry stays in a fixed location, as shown in Figure 4.152 Click the Affect Pivot Only button to turn it off Open the Array dialog box and then click the Reset All Parameters button at the bottom of the dialog box to clear any settings from the previous exercise In the Incremental Z Rotate input box, enter 30 to create a 30-degree rotation in the Z-axis between each column Click the right-facing arrow next to the Scale label to activate the Scale Totals input boxes Enter 600 in the Totals Z Scale input box This will cause the last column in the array to be 600 percent larger than the first 10 In the 1D Count input box, enter This is a setup to create a semicircular array of columns with ascending heights Your Array dialog box should look like Figure 4.153 Figure 4.151 Changing the Pivot option Figure 4.152 Moving the pivot point Figure 4.153 The Array dialog box prepared for a polar array | Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot   259 11 Click the Preview button The array is displayed properly in the viewport, as shown in Figure 4.154 12 Click the Preview button again to turn off Preview mode Make any adjustments that you want to in the Array dialog box, and then click OK to create the array Figure 4.154 The polar array The Array tool’s capability to create a vast number of clones is significant and deserves additional experimentation Consider using Array to generate all of the windows in a high-rise or fields of cars or light posts Using the Array Tool to Create Windows Modern office buildings are often designed with large, redundant surfaces covered with windows or glass panes The windows are usually of the same size and design and equally distributed throughout large portions of a building’s vertical surfaces A common practice is to use the Array command to reproduce the windows in an accurate and orderly fashion As long as the on-center distance between windows is known both vertically and horizontally, the Array tool can be a great timesaver Creating Multiple Clones Using Snapshot When an object is animated, it may have a change in its transforms (Move, Rotate, and Scale), parameters, modifier settings, and so on The Snapshot tool, located on the Array flyout, captures the state of the selected object at the specified time interval You can create copy, instance, or reference clones as well as mesh clones (that is, clones collapsed to editable meshes) The Snapshot tool requires an animated object; animation is covered thoroughly in Chapter 12, “Understanding Animation,” and Chapter 13, “Creating Animations, Particles, and Dynamics.” Open the Snapshot.max file This scene consists of a single wrought-iron fence post and three rails forming a 50´ × 50´ square (see Figure 4.155) The post’s vertical scale reciprocates between approximately 7´0˝ and 6´0˝ every 20 frames and travels along the 200´0˝ perimeter over 400 frames | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects 260  Figure 4.155 A fence with rails and a single post A Frame Is a Point in Time A frame is a point on a timeline that corresponds to one displayed image and is measured in frames per second (fps) This scene is set up to create and play back animation at 30 fps In the Perspective viewport, select the fence post In the Extras toolbar, click and hold the Array tool and select the Snapshot tool The Snapshot dialog box opens as shown in Figure 4.156 Click the Range radio button to instruct 3ds Max to create copies over a specified period of time In the Snapshot area, set the From input box to 0, the To input box to 400, and the Copies input box to 200 The 200 clones will be generated during the entire 400-frame animation, or one clone every 1/15th of a second In the Clone Method section, choose Instance and then click the OK button The posts, reciprocating heights and all, are created as shown in Figure 4.157 Figure 4.156 The Snapshot dialog box Figure 4.157 The Snapshot tool created 200 evenly spaced instanced post clones | The Bottom Line   261 The only slight problem in the scene is that there are three posts in the corner where the original post started These are the original post and the posts created at frames and 400 with the Snapshot tool Only one is necessary, so we will re-create all of the posts with slightly different parameters: Click the Undo button, or press Ctrl+Z to undo the Snapshot tool Click the Snapshot tool again to open the Snapshot dialog box Set the From value to and the To value to 398 Reduce the number of copies to 198, and then click the OK button The posts are created again, this time without the additional objects at the starting point Because all of the posts are instances, changes to any single object will be instantly reflected in all of the others When the posts are required to be closer together, set the number of copies higher to increase the clone count generated in the same amount of time A similar tool on the same flyout as the Array and Snapshot tools is the Spacing tool Use Spacing instead of Snapshot when there is no animation involved or when the precise distance between objects is pertinent, rather than the count The Bottom Line Create openings with ProBoolean operations ​ Using the ProBoolean operations, you can  ​ join meshes (union), delete one object and any volume it shares with another object (subtraction), or delete two objects while retaining the volume of the share (intersection) Master It ​ Using the ProBoolean tools, cut an archway into a box primitive representing  ​ a wall The archway is to be 3´ wide and 8´ high at the top of the arch Designate a modeling template image ​ Using a template image applied to geometry, such  ​ as a plane or a box, can be very helpful in the modeling process These image planes can be used to display reference information, such as plans, sections, or elevations, needed to aid the modeling process Master It ​ So you can use it to model the building’s elevation, add an image plane that  ​ uses the House.jpg file provided with 3ds Max to your Front viewport Create and modify objects with box modeling ​ Virtually any real-world object can be cre ​ ated using box modeling methodology Instead of combining primitive objects, you can take a plane or a box and extrude/bevel, inset, and otherwise build up new polys to model anything you wish Master It ​ Create any object you want using box modeling techniques  ​ Attach objects to a mesh ​ The Attach option of an Editable Poly object causes objects to  ​ become Element sub-objects of an existing Editable Poly This creates a single object from multiple objects and reduces the memory requirements of the object Master It ​ Create a short tube primitive to act as a simple, round picture frame Taper  ​ the tube Create a short cylinder to represent the picture backing Use the Attach option to attach the backing to the frame 262  | Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects Create clones with Array and Snapshot ​ The Array and Snapshot tools both provide a  ​ method of creating many clones of scene objects The Array tool creates them in patterns of rows and columns, and the Snapshot tool creates clones by capturing their appearance at any point in time Master It ​ Create a window that’s 4´ wide by 6´ tall In the Front viewport, create an  ​ array of windows that are spread out 8´ on-center horizontally and 12´ on-center vertically Chapter Working with External Design Data 3ds Max Design is a complete and powerful product 3ds Max Design 2011 is so robust that it can take advantage of the other design and drafting programs produced by Autodesk Other products that are useful with 3ds Max Design are AutoCAD-based applications, including AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and the Revit family of products In this chapter, you’ll look at ways that you can use AutoCAD-based applications more directly with 3ds Max in your design and visualization workflow You’ll explore the common practices of importing 2D AutoCAD line drawings as a starting point in the creation of 3ds Max geometry and the direct linking of the AutoCAD drawings The latter procedure incorporates the entire DWG file into the 3ds Max scene with a one-way pipeline; any changes to the AutoCAD file are reflected in the 3ds Max scene Finally, you’ll look at the procedure for incorporating Revit files into 3ds Max In this chapter, you’ll learn to: •u Create topography with splines •u Import AutoCAD plans into 3ds Max •u Use the Substitute modifier •u Import Revit files into 3ds Max Creating Topography with Splines In 3ds Max there are many ways to add detail to an object created with splines, as you saw with the wineglass in Chapter 3, “Creating Shapes with Splines,” and modeling the Ronchamp cathedral in Chapter 4, “Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects.” In Chapter 9, “Enhancing Models with Materials,” you will learn to create geometry by using a displacement map A displacement map, which is similar to a bump map, creates a deformed surface based on the light and dark areas of a bitmap image A bump map, on the other hand, simply applies shadows to your rendered objects, giving the illusion of texture You can create terrain in a 3ds Max scene by painting light and dark areas in an image and then importing that image and using it as a displacement map, as shown in Figure 5.1 Figure 5.1 A bitmap image (left) and the terrain created by using the image as a displacement map (right) 264  | Chapter 5 Working with External Design Data Integrating Autodesk Products into Your Workflow The tight integration between all of Autodesk’s AutoCAD-based products and 3ds Max Design 2011 allows you to maximize the strengths of each program in your workflow By using CAD and 3ds Max together, you can maintain a single design database that carries through your entire workflow 3ds Max will never overwrite an AutoCAD DWG or DXF file that you import or link into your scene, so you can be sure of the integrity of your design database Depending on your particular needs and skill level with each program, you will need to consider several strategies for planning the tasks to perform in each software package Although it is possible to create your entire project in 3ds Max alone, if you have access to and proficiency with AutoCAD, we don’t recommend you so 3ds Max’s real strengths are in modeling complex forms, assigning materials, lighting, composing scenes, rendering, and animating 3ds Max is not as proficient at managing the complex 2D linework needed in drafting—this is AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT’s traditional strength Therefore, if you have both programs, it is more efficient to utilize AutoCAD for what it is best at and use 3ds Max for its strengths AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are excellent tools for creating 2D geometry Much of your work as a designer will require accurate renditions of your designs in the traditional plan and elevation views Frequently, designs begin as 2D plans anyway, so having the ability to import or link to a DWG or DXF file is a natural extension of 3ds Max In the most common strategy, the 2D linework is handled by CAD, and the rest of the workflow is handled by 3ds Max Another strategy to consider is to bring a well-developed 3D model into 3ds Max from AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or AutoCAD Mechanical Some veteran AutoCAD users (or those very new to 3ds Max) may prefer to basic 3D modeling in AutoCAD and use 3ds Max later in their workflow to add materials and create animation Although the 3D aspects of AutoCAD have been addressed in the most recent releases, AutoCAD’s 3D modeling tools can seem quite primitive in comparison with 3ds Max’s modeling tools 3ds Max is much better for modeling curving, organic forms such as those found in furniture, ornamentation, and luminaries AutoCAD Architecture is designed to build a 3D model as you work, so it makes sense to link an Auto­CAD Architecture model into 3ds Max and use 3ds Max for the visualization aspects of the workflow There is a strong push in the architectural industry to incorporate the Revit family of building information modeling (BIM) products into the construction pipeline Using Revit, for example, wall objects are more than simple lines or flat structures They are data-rich elements that define every aspect of the wall, such as construction type, coatings, surface properties, or surface area Changing a wall type from stud with a brick faỗade to block not only changes the appearance of the structure but also cascades data throughout the file Incorporating Revit files into a 3ds Max scene is discussed near the end of this chapter AutoCAD Architecture and Revit 2011 include mental ray as their core renderer—the same mental ray that is incorporated into 3ds Max Using the lights, cameras, and materials included with the program, you can render your scenes in AutoCAD Architecture or Revit, but the 3ds Max rendering toolset is more complete | Creating Topography with Splines   265 Importing AutoCAD Files the Old Way You can still access the legacy DWG importer if you want importing files to work the way it did in Autodesk VIZ 2008 Click the Application menu and select Import Then click the Files of Type drop-down list and select Legacy AutoCAD (*.DWG) to access the old importer This type of terrain modeling is fine for creating freeform shapes Displacement maps for terrain can also be created from Geographic Information System (GIS) and mapping programs so that you will have a good approximation of a project site to quickly create large areas of land for visualization projects If you want to have a very accurate model of terrain based on survey data, you need to use other tools to create your terrain model, such as AutoCAD Map 3D or AutoCAD Civil 3D, or contour lines created in AutoCAD In this section, you’ll learn how you can quickly create a terrain model from contour lines generated in AutoCAD You’ll also get a look at ways of linking files from AutoCAD to allow you to maintain one data source for both AutoCAD and 3ds Max The importer for DWG and DXF files has been refined in 3ds Max 2011 to support files from the latest versions of the software Both DWG and DXF files are imported through the same dialog box Start 3ds Max; click the Application menu and choose References  File Link Manager Accessing the File Link Manager from the Command Panel You can also use the File Link Manager as a utility From the Utilities tab of the Command panel, choose More  File Link Manager In the File Link Manager dialog box, make sure the Attach tab is selected; then click the File button In the Open dialog box, locate and open the contour.dwg file as shown in Figure 5.2 The contour lines are AutoCAD splines Figure 5.2 The contour.dwg file ... walls Open the My_Walls .max model you created in the previous chapter, or open MyWalls04 max that you downloaded from www.sybex.com/go /mastering3 dsmaxdesign2011 If your 3ds Max window shows only... tool developed with 3ds Max This tool is at least 15 years old; it was part of the first release of 3ds Max in 1995 ProBoolean was a more powerful plug-in available for 3ds Max that has been incorporated... features, can be turned into a floating toolbar or docked to another side of the 3ds Max UI New to 3ds Max Design 2011, you can also customize the ribbon, making your own collection of tools You