Mastering. Autodesk 3ds Max Jeffrey M. Harper

Transcription

1

2

3 Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Jeffrey M. Harper

4 Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo Development Editor: Gary Schwartz Technical Editor: Jon McFarland Production Editor: Dassi Zeidel Copy Editor: Linda Recktenwald Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan Production Manager: Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Book Designers: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama; Judy Fung Proofreader: Sara Wilson; Sarah Kaikini, Word One New York Indexer: Ted Laux Project Coordinator, Cover: Katherine Crocker Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Cover Image: Jeffrey M. Harper Model: axyz vehicles, Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Sample Files Subscription download. Objects: Autodesk 3ds Max AEC Extended objects. Xfrog Inc. objects, seek.autodesk.com. Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: ISBN: (ebk.) ISBN: (ebk.) ISBN: (ebk.) No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (877) , outside the U.S. at (317) or fax (317) Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at For more information about Wiley products, visit Library of Congress Control Number: TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Autodesk and 3ds Max are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book

5 Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching. Sybex was founded in More than 30 years later, we re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available. I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an at nedde@wiley.com. If you think you ve found a technical error in this book, please visit Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex. Best regards, Neil Edde Vice President and Publisher Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

6 This book is dedicated to my family and friends for always encouraging me in my endeavors, for providing their emotional support, and for their understanding when I missed events or disappeared from the face of the earth to finish projects such as attempting to complete this book on schedule.

7 Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the support of everyone at Wiley/Sybex in helping write and update Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max I would also like to acknowledge Mariann Barsolo, Pete Gaughan, Connor O Brien, Jenni Housh, Dassi Zeidel, Gary Schwartz, Jon McFarland, Linda Recktenwald, and everyone else on the Wiley/Sybex team who helped keep me on schedule, assisted with graphics and figures, and made edits and corrections. I would like to thank Jon McFarland, one of the original authors of this book, for coming on board as technical reviewer on the book. I would also like to thank Scott Onstott for allowing us to use his models as examples for a number of chapters in this book. Thanks also go out to Brian P. Skripac, former architectural consulting expert at IMAGINiT Technologies, for the Revit model used in Chapter 5. I would like to thank Curtis Waguespack for the two Autodesk Inventor files from his Mastering Autodesk Inventor book. I would also like to thank Jennifer O Connor for the MAXScript information. And, of course, a big thanks to Tom Hudson, Gary Yost, Dan Silva, Rolf Bertteig, and Jack Powell for creating 3D Studio, and the folks at Autodesk who continue to make 3ds Max such a fun and compelling creativity tool, for without them, we all wouldn t be here. I have to thank my family and friends again for all their love, support, encouragement, faith, and patience.

8

9 About the Author Jeffrey M. Harper started using Autodesk products (initially AutoCAD 9 software) in his architectural drafting classes when he was in high school. Jeff was very excited to see AutoCAD add 3D modeling to its toolset, and he merged this with his love of photography and started thinking cinematographically, creating renderings of his AutoCAD files with AutoShade. Soon he began using 3D Studio R3 (for DOS) to help visualize his projects while he studied architecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He quickly upgraded to R4 for DOS when it came out. Jeff immediately upgraded to 3D Studio Max 1.0 for Windows when it was released, and he has used every version of 3ds Max since. He has also used Lightscape 3.2 and a few versions of Autodesk VIZ. Jeff also regularly uses Lightwave 3D, Vue, and many of the Adobe Master Collection products including Photoshop Extended, Adobe Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, and Encore. Jeff has used 3ds Max to create architectural and civil engineering visualizations from a combination of aerial and terrestrial LiDAR, USGS NED data, high-resolution digital orthophotography, stereo-compiled mapping data, and CAD files from different packages and disciplines. He has also used 3ds Max to create models, stills, animations, and interactive components used in computer-based training programs for aircraft maintenance. Jeff has even used 3ds Max to design and create a stereo-lithography (STL) file used to build a rapid-prototyped form from which he hand-pressed ceramic tiles that were glazed and fired and then used in the backsplash of a kitchen remodeling project. Jeff also uses 3ds Max to create visual effects elements for a variety of media. His work on the short film Random Natural Occurrence won the Brad Carvey Award for Best Visual Effects at the 2010 Duke City Shootout film festival. As a CADD manager and data manager for a large multistate, multidiscipline engineering firm, Jeff wrote a number of workflow/training documents to assist users with CAD and GIS functions, and he assisted users with AutoCAD, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, MicroStation, InRoads, Adobe Photoshop, ArcGIS, and GeoMedia. Jeff is also an avid photographer and graphic/multimedia designer and editor. He recently helped rebrand one of the best talent agencies in the southwest and is managing the social media presence for Tim s Place ( a local Albuquerque restaurant.

10

11 Contents at a Glance Introduction xxi Chapter 1 Getting to Know Autodesk 3ds Max Chapter 2 Introducing Objects Chapter 3 Creating Shapes with Splines Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects Chapter 5 Working with External Design Data Chapter 6 Organizing and Editing Objects Chapter 7 Light and Shadow Chapter 8 Enhancing Models with Materials Chapter 9 Using the Camera Chapter 10 Organizing Objects and Scene Management Chapter 11 Understanding Animation Chapter 12 Creating Animations, Particles, and Dynamics Chapter 13 Rigging for Animation Chapter 14 Advanced Rendering Using mental ray Chapter 15 Finishing It Off: Atmosphere, Effects, and Compositing Appendix A The Bottom Line Appendix B Autodesk 3ds Max Certification Index

12

13 Contents Introduction xxi Chapter 1 Getting to Know Autodesk 3ds Max Introducing the New 3ds Max 2013 Features Getting Started with Autodesk 3ds Max Touring the Interface The Menu Bar The Quick Access Toolbar The Information Center Toolbar The Main Toolbar Docked and Floating Toolbars Toolbar Flyouts The Viewports Tools for Working with the Viewports Getting to Know the Command Panel Understanding the 3ds Max Tools Working with Objects Selecting and Moving Objects Rotating and Scaling Objects Copying an Object Selecting Multiple Objects Naming Selection Sets Editing Named Selection Sets Getting the View You Want Understanding the Perspective Viewing Tools Using Multiple Viewports Changing the Viewport Display and Configuration Working with the Custom UI And Defaults Switcher The Bottom Line Chapter 2 Introducing Objects Understanding Standard Primitives Adjusting an Object s Parameters Accessing Parameters Introducing the Standard Primitive Objects Modeling Standard Primitives with Modifiers Adding a Modifier Accessing Modifier Parameters Placing Modifiers Where You Want Them Using the Modifier Stack Tools

14 XII CONTENTS How 3ds Max Sees Objects Making Clones That Share Properties Creating an Instance Clone Creating a Reference Clone Scaling and Rotating Objects with Transform Tools Making a Clone Unique Cloning a Modifier Introducing Extended Primitives Modeling a Couch Working with Groups Grouping the Components of the Couch Working within Groups Disassembling Groups The Bottom Line Chapter 3 Creating Shapes with Splines Drawing with Splines Drawing Straight-Line Segments Constraining Lines Vertically and Horizontally Drawing Curves Lathing a Spline Modifying a Shape Using Sub-object Levels Adjusting the Lathe Axis Flipping Surface Normals Smoothing Spline Corners Adjusting Tangent Handles Creating Thickness with a Spline Detailing the Wineglass Base Finishing the Wineglass Outlining and Extruding Splines Drawing Accurate Splines Giving Walls Thickness Using Grids and Snaps to Align Objects Accurately Adjusting a Wall Location Combining and Extruding Primitive Splines Combining Splines Joining Closed Splines with Boolean Tools Creating a Solid Form with Splines Introducing the Other Spline Types Editing Splines Placing and Beveling Text The Bottom Line Chapter 4 Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects Creating Openings in a Wall with Boolean Operations Hiding Shapes That Get in the Way Creating the Shape of the Opening Subtracting the Opening from the Wall

15 CONTENTS XIII Creating Multiple Openings in a Single Wall Making Changes to the Opening Tracing a Sketch Using a Bitmap Image Scaling the Image Plane to the Model s Size Tracing the Image Building Objects from Traced Lines Editing Meshes Creating a Tapered Wall Converting the Spline to a Mesh Moving a Single Mesh Vertex Tapering the Top of the Wall Using Instanced Clones to Create Symmetrical Forms Adding a User Grid to Aid Tracing Building the Tower Walls Adding the Vaulted Ceiling Creating the Smaller Towers Drawing the Remaining Walls Attaching Objects to a Mesh Smoothing Meshes Smoothing within a Mesh The Smooth Modifier Creating and Modifying Objects Using Box Modeling Preparing a Box for Box Modeling Using the Transform Toolbox Creating Clones with Array and Snapshot Creating a Pew Grid with Array Creating a Multitransform Polar Array Creating Multiple Clones Using Snapshot The Bottom Line Chapter 5 Working with External Design Data Creating Topography with Splines Updating Changes from an AutoCAD File Exploring Terrain Options Setting Up an AutoCAD Plan for 3ds Max Importing AutoCAD Plans into 3ds Max Extruding the Walls Extruding Exterior Wall Headers Extruding the Mullions Creating Interior Wall Headers Adding Glass Creating a Floor with Openings Exploring the Manage Links Dialog Box Editing Linked AutoCAD Files Understanding the Block Node Hierarchy Understanding the Manage Links Options Understanding File Link Settings

16 XIV CONTENTS Importing Adobe Illustrator Files into 3ds Max Importing Autodesk Inventor Files into 3ds Max Using the Substitute Modifier with Linked Geometry Importing a Truss Linking Revit Files into 3ds Max Linking the Revit File in 3ds Max Using the Scene Explorer Importing FBX Files into 3ds Max The Bottom Line Chapter 6 Organizing and Editing Objects (Re)Naming Objects Renaming the Ceiling Fixtures Organizing Objects by Layers Setting Up Layers Assigning Objects to Layers Assigning Color to Layers Understanding the Icons in the Layer Dialog Box Lofting an Object Setting Up the Shapes to Form the Pedestal Lofting a Shape along a Path Using Different Shapes along the Loft Path Fine-Tuning a Loft Object Using the Instance Clones to Edit the Loft Using the Noise Modifier Modeling with Soft Selection Extruding with the Sweep Modifier Aligning Objects The Bottom Line Chapter 7 Light and Shadow Lighting Your Model Understanding the Types of Lights Adding a Spotlight to Simulate the Sun Moving a Light Editing a Spotlight Changing the Light Type Rendering a View Ambient Light Faking Radiosity Adding a Highlight with an Omni Light Looking at Omni Light Options Adding Shadow Effects Softening Shadow Edges Understanding Shadow Maps

17 CONTENTS XV Using Ray-Traced Shadows Using Advanced Ray Traced and Area Shadows Playing in the Shadows Using Two Suns Adding a Second Sun Using Unseen Objects to Cast Shadows Using a Clone to Cast Shadows Using the Light Lister Using Scene States The Bottom Line Chapter 8 Enhancing Models with Materials Understanding Bitmap Texture Maps Diffuse Color Maps Surface Properties The Architectural Material s Physical Qualities Rollout The Special Effects Rollout Ink n Paint Material DirectX Shader Adding Materials to Objects Adding a Map Path to Help 3ds Max Find Bitmaps Understanding Material Libraries Editing Materials Using Bump Maps Creating a New Material Adding Material Mapping Coordinates Understanding Mapping Coordinates What Happens When You Add the Mapping Coordinates? Adjusting the UVW Map Gizmo Using the Standard Material Map Scalar Modifiers Spline Mapping Adding Entourage Hiding Unwanted Surfaces with Opacity Maps Adjusting an Object to a Bitmap Shape Assigning Materials to Parts of an Object Creating a Multi/Sub-object Material Applying a Sub-material to an Object s Surface Exploring the Autodesk Materials Adjusting the Autodesk Material Parameters Using the Material Explorer The Material Utilities Modeling with Displacement Maps Using the Displace Modifier Using the Material Editor to Create Displaced Geometry

18 XVI CONTENTS Converting a Displacement Map into an Editable Mesh Creating an Editable Mesh from a Displacement Map Additional Mapping and Material Features The Bottom Line Chapter 9 Using the Camera Understanding the 3ds Max Camera Adding a Camera ds Max Viewport Improvements Editing the Camera Location with the Viewport Tools Setting Up an Interior View Creating an Environment Making Adjustments to the Background Using Immersive Environments for Animation Creating a Believable Background Using a Texture Map and Hemisphere for the Sky Using Render Types Using Render Elements for Compositing Matching Your Scene to a Background Image Setting Up the Model and the Image Adding the Background Image Adding the Camera Match Points Aligning the Camera Match Points to the Background Image Fine-Tuning a Camera-Matched View Matching the Design Image Quality to the Background Standard Cinematic Terminology The Bottom Line Chapter 10 Organizing Objects and Scene Management Gaining Access to Materials and Objects from Other Files Arranging Furniture with XRefs and the Asset Browser Replacing Objects with Objects from an External File Substituting Objects for Faster Viewport Performance Importing Files with the Asset Browser Arranging Furniture with XRef Scenes Using the Rendered Frame Window Copying the Rendered Image Printing Images Opening Multiple RFWs for Comparisons Zooming, Panning, and Controlling Channels in the RFW Obtaining Colors from External Bitmap Files Tracking and Locating a Scene s Assets Creating Panoramas Publishing a DWF File The Bottom Line

19 CONTENTS XVII Chapter 11 Understanding Animation Understanding the World of Video Time Creating a Quick-Study Animation Adding Camera Motion Adjusting the Camera Path Viewing the Camera Trajectory Controlling the Camera Trajectory Visibility Creating a Preview Animation Understanding Keyframes Increasing the Number of Frames in an Animation Segment Accelerating and Decelerating the Camera Motion Smoothly Editing Keyframes Adding More Frames for Additional Camera Motion Adding Frames to the End of a Segment Adjusting the Camera Motion through a Keyframe Compressing and Expanding Time Adjusting the Camera Trajectory Using the Track View Increasing the Number of Frames between Selected Keys Speeding Up the Preview Rendering Time Adding Frames to the Beginning of a Segment Other Options for Previewing Your Motion Moving the Camera Target over Time Controlling Lights over Time The Bottom Line Chapter 12 Creating Animations, Particles, and Dynamics Rendering the Animation Creating a Study Animation Creating a Quick Overall Study Animation Adding a Moving Car Automating the Output of Multiple Still Images Setting Up a Camera for Elevations Setting Up the Four Elevations Rendering a Shadow Study Adjusting for True North Changing from an IES Sun to a Standard Light Creating a Walkthrough Fine-Tuning the Camera s Orientation Adjusting the Camera s Timing Adjusting the Path The Animation File Output Options True Color vs. 256 Colors File Naming in Animations Choosing an Image Size The AVI Codecs

20 XVIII CONTENTS Using MassFX to Animate Objects Assigning Properties to Simulation Objects Setting Up and Running the Simulation Refining the Settings Using MassFX mcloth Using Particle Systems Creating the Initial Flow Adding and Editing the Operators Adding Materials and Space Warps Adding Deflectors The Bottom Line Chapter 13 Rigging for Animation Creating Parent Child Hierarchies Using the Morpher Modifier Animating the Morpher Modifier Assembling an Articulated Luminaire Transforming Pivot Points Aligning the Light Source with the Fixture Using Schematic View Understanding Bones Understanding Biped The Bottom Line Chapter 14 Advanced Rendering Using mental ray Understanding mental ray Setting Up mental ray The Material Editor and mental ray Using Photon Maps Testing the Photon Map Effects Final Gathering Reviewing the Basic mental ray Workflow Contour Renderings Using the mr Multi/Sub-Map Material Skylight Global Illumination Image-Based Lighting and Skylight Using High Dynamic Range Images Using mr Proxy Objects Using IES Files The Bottom Line Chapter 15 Finishing It Off: Atmosphere, Effects, and Compositing Adding Atmospheric Effects Creating a Volume Light Adjusting the Volume Light Parameters Adding Fog

21 CONTENTS XIX Adding a Fire Effect Using Hair And Fur Adjusting the Hair And Fur Parameters Refining the Hair And Fur Parameters Using Glare Assigning the Glare Output Shader Using Depth of Field Creating Stereoscopic Renders in 3ds Max Using Autodesk Composite Composite the Stereo Pair into an Anaglyph Image The Bottom Line Appendix A The Bottom Line Chapter 1: Getting to Know Autodesk 3ds Max Chapter 2: Introducing Objects Chapter 3: Creating Shapes with Splines Chapter 4: Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects Chapter 5: Working with External Design Data Chapter 6: Organizing and Editing Objects Chapter 7: Light and Shadow Chapter 8: Enhancing Models with Materials Chapter 9: Using the Camera Chapter 10: Organizing Objects and Scene Management Chapter 11: Understanding Animation Chapter 12: Creating Animations, Particles, and Dynamics Chapter 13: Rigging for Animation Chapter 14: Advanced Rendering Using mental ray Chapter 15: Finishing It Off: Atmosphere, Effects, and Compositing Appendix B Autodesk 3ds Max Certification Index

22

23 Introduction A significant portion of your work as a 3D artist will involve sketching and drawing throughout the design process. Not only will these visual explorations help convey your ideas to others, but they will help you see problems within a design and help you refine your ideas. 3D computer modeling and animation take design visualization beyond hand-drawn sketches and foam-core models by allowing you to create a complete replica of your design and study it from any point of view in any lighting condition. With Autodesk 3ds Max 2013, you can apply color, texture, lighting, and other effects to see how variations of these elements affect your design. You can get a realistic look at your design to help you make better decisions as you progress through the design process. Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 is intended to help an extremely broad audience ranging from those interested in creating content for films, television, and games to architects, designers, and visualization artists to present their designs through 3D models, rendered still images, and animations. This book focuses on the use of 3ds Max 2013 as a modeling and presentation tool. Because Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 is focused on such varied issues, you will not find comprehensive information about character animation or advanced special effects. You also will not find descriptions of every single tool or function available in 3ds Max 2013, since the software is extremely robust and the length of this book, after all, is limited. In this book you will find step-by-step tutorials covering the primary functions of the software that you will use in the process of modeling, texturing, lighting, and animating projects. These tutorials are based on years of experience using 3ds Max on real projects with real requirements and deadlines. By completing the tutorials, you will learn how to construct complex geometric forms and how to apply realistic textures and lighting to study a design. You will also learn how to create effects to help emphasize parts of your projects for presentations. Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 is also an Official Training Guide for Autodesk s 3ds Max 2013 certification exam. See Appendix B for more information about certification. How to Use This Book The goal of this book is to give you the appropriate skills to produce professional-level presentations of your ideas, from conceptual designs to finished renderings and animations. Once you have mastered those fundamental skills, you will be equipped to confidently explore 3ds Max 2013 and its robust set of tools and options on your own. To get the most value from this book, you should read the chapters sequentially from front to back, doing all the exercises as you go, including the Master It problems at the end of each

24 XXII INTRODUCTION chapter. Each chapter builds on skills you learned in previous chapters, so you can think of this book as your personal, self-paced course on 3ds Max As you are doing the exercises, don t be afraid to try things not in the tutorials. 3ds Max is too robust and complicated to be taught completely in one volume. The first two chapters of this book will help you become familiar with how 3ds Max 2013 works and how it is organized. If you are already familiar with 3ds Max, 3ds Max Design, or Autodesk VIZ, you will still want to study these chapters to become accustomed to the new user interface and to be introduced to some of the new features of 3ds Max Chapters 3 through 6 will show you how to build fairly complex geometry using a variety of tools. These chapters introduce you to the more common methods of constructing and modifying objects in 3ds Max Chapters 7 through 9 show you how to use lights, materials, and cameras. Chapter 10 covers scene management to help you work with large complex scenes and external files. Chapters 11 through 13 introduce and then expand on animation topics. Chapter 14 discusses advanced rendering techniques with the mental ray renderer. Chapter 15 covers using more mental ray effects, rendering those effects to high dynamic range files, and then compositing elements from your renderings and tweaking those materials in 3ds Max Composite in order to enhance your projects. There is a set of appendices online ( that offers general reference information on some of the most common tools used in 3ds Max Once you have completed the first few chapters of the book, you can use the appendices as an aid in your own exploration of 3ds Max. You can then refer to the appendices as you continue to work through the rest of the book. If you are interested in certification for 3ds Max 2013, Appendix B will help you find the information in this book, the 3ds Max Help System, or in other resources that will help you prepare to take the test. The Tutorial Files on the Website It s very important that before you start going through the tutorials in this book, you visit this book s page on the Sybex website ( and download the compressed files with the content that will be used in the throughout this book. The website includes archive files of the *.max variety and support files necessary to complete the exercises in this book. You must extract the chapter archive files to a folder on your computer that you will use to complete the tutorials in the book. You should not try to open the.max files directly from the website. Connecting 3ds Max to the Chapter Files It is important that you configure 3ds Max 2013 to recognize the location of the tutorial files from the Sybex website ( Make sure that you perform the instructions given in the section titled Adding a Map Path to Help 3ds Max Find Bitmaps in Chapter 8. If you like, you can set up 3ds Max as described in that section right after you have extracted the files.

25 INTRODUCTION XXIII What You ll Find To give you a better idea of what you ll find in this book, here is a summary of the chapters and their contents: Chapter 1: Getting to Know Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 In Chapter 1, you will get an introduction to 3ds Max 2013 and the user interface, and you ll get a first look at 3ds Max objects and how they are created and animated. Toward the end of Chapter 1, you will be introduced to the different ways you can view your projects in 3ds Max Chapter 2: Introducing Objects Chapter 2 delves deeper into the workings of 3ds Max objects. You ll learn about the different types of objects available in 3ds Max 2013 and how you can use them to create the shapes you want. You will learn how to manipulate the core set of shapes in 3ds Max, called primitives, and turn them into more complex shapes. You will also learn about the different methods you can use to duplicate shapes and how these methods can help you quickly complete your design. Chapter 3: Creating Shapes with Splines In Chapter 3, you will look at how you can create complex forms from simple lines. Here you will learn how to manipulate a basic type of object, called a spline shape, and turn it into a wineglass. You will look at creating walls and 3D text objects as well. Chapter 4: Editing Meshes and Creating Complex Objects Chapter 4 introduces you to object creation and editing methods that are common to architectural projects. You will start modeling a well-known building using a hand-drawn sketch as a template. You will also focus on drawing objects that have unusual shapes. Chapter 5: Working with External Design Data Chapter 5 introduces you to concepts and workflows that will be helpful with importing data from other programs into 3ds Max 2013 and using that data to enhance your models and scenes. Chapter 6: Organizing and Editing Objects In Chapter 6, you will continue working on the main scene from Chapter 5 by exploring ways to organize the components of the scene. You will learn how to use object names and layers to help identify parts in the design. You will also continue your exploration of modeling complex forms by creating additional objects and modifying existing objects to add detail and depth to the scene. Chapter 7: Light and Shadow Chapter 7 continues to use the well-known building started in Chapter 5 to introduce you to the concepts of lighting and rendering your digital models. You will also learn about the different types of lighting and shadows and how to use them together. In addition, you will learn how you can create more realistic renderings by the careful placement of additional lights in strategic locations. Chapter 8: Enhancing Models with Materials In Chapter 8, you will continue to build on what you learned in Chapter 7 by exploring materials. You will experiment with the many properties of materials and maps in 3ds Max, such as diffuse color, bump map textures, and reflections. You will learn how to align a texture to a surface, and you will be introduced to methods for adding 2D entourage, such as trees and people, to scenes. Chapter 9: Using the Camera Chapter 9 discusses placing cameras in your model and creating environments to surround your models. You will learn how to control the background

26 XXIV INTRODUCTION to affect the mood of your renderings. You will also experiment with rendering only selected portions of your scene to save time. Chapter 10: Organizing Objects and Scene Management Chapter 10 shows you different ways to use 3ds Max files. You will learn how to combine different files efficiently to allow you to work collaboratively with other members of a design team. You will discover ways to share data between project files. You will also see how you can use models found on the Internet. Chapter 11: Understanding Animation Chapter 11 offers you an introduction to animation in an architectural context. You will learn to create and control the animation of a camera to create a flyover of one of the buildings you worked on in earlier chapters. You will also learn how to edit an animated object s motion, create previews of your animation, and control lights over time. Chapter 12: Creating Animations, Particles, and Dynamics Chapter 12 continues your look at animation by exploring the options for outputting your animations to files, creating time-lapse shadow studies, adding other animated elements to add to the realism of your visualizations, and creating effective animations of your projects. You will also learn about other animation topics, such as creating and animating particle systems, as well as animating using rigid body physics in dynamic simulation systems. Chapter 13: Rigging for Animation Chapter 13 expands on the animation topic by introducing concepts necessary for linking objects for creating mechanical animation, using Inverse and Forward Kinematics (IK/FK), creating a simple morph animation, and understanding the concept of bones, biped, and rigging objects for animation. Chapter 14: Advanced Rendering Using mental ray In Chapter 14, you will learn how to take advantage of the advanced features of the rendering engine in 3ds Max 2013 to optimize rendering your stills and animations with global illumination and caustics. Chapter 15: Finishing It Off: Atmosphere, Effects, and Compositing Chapter 15 shows you how to take your 3ds Max 2013 renderings to the next level, adding depth and mood to your renderings, using effects available with mental ray, adding effects to your final renderings with 3ds Max Composite, adjusting how your final renderings look, and compositing anaglyph stereo renderings. In addition to the main chapters in this book, there are four appendices: Appendix A: The Bottom Line Appendix A has the solutions to the Master It exercises found at the end of each chapter. Appendix B: Autodesk 3ds Max Certification Appendix B is a reference for finding information that will help you prepare for taking the Autodesk certification exams related to 3ds Max The following appendices are available online from this book s web page: Bonus Appendix 1: Modifiers, Maps, and Materials Bonus Appendix 1 is a reference for the modifiers and materials in 3ds Max Bonus Appendix 2: MAXScript Bonus Appendix 2 is a reference for finding information on using MAXScript.

27 INTRODUCTION XXV System Requirements This book assumes that you already have Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 and a computer that can properly run the software. Additionally, you should perform a complete installation of 3ds Max 2013, including the optional tutorials and plug-ins. Many of the extra and demonstration plug-ins are not covered in this book; however, you should experiment with them on your own. The following list shows you the minimum system requirements necessary to run 3ds Max 2013; you should exceed these values whenever possible for better system performance and stability: u u u u u u u u Intel Pentium4 1.4GHz or AMD-based equivalent processor with SSE2 technology 2GB of RAM (4GB recommended) 2GB of swap space (4GB recommended) 3GB of free disk space after 3ds Max 2013 software installation Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 or newer Direct3D 10, Direct3D 9, or OpenGL-capable graphics card supporting , 32-bit color display; 512MB video memory (1GB or higher recommended) DVD-ROM drive for installing from physical media. A three-button mouse with the appropriate driver software u Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 3 or higher) or Microsoft Windows 7, 32-bit or 64-bit u Internet connection for web downloads and Autodesk Subscription access Autodesk does not support running 3ds Max 2013 on Windows Me, NT 4.0, 98, or prior versions. You can find the complete system requirements for 3ds Max 2013 on the Autodesk website, including system requirements for running 3ds Max on Apple Macintosh systems using Boot Camp or Mac virtualization on the Parallels Desktop ( The 3GB of free disk space includes space for the sample files and general workspace for your projects. For later chapters, you may want to install AutoCAD 2010 or newer and Adobe Photoshop CS4 or newer. You can obtain a trial version of Photoshop from the Adobe website. You can also download a 30-day trial version of AutoCAD 2013 from the Autodesk website. These additional software applications are not crucial, but you may find them to be useful companions to 3ds Max About the Cover The cover of this book is created from a scene very similar to one of the scenes you will use in Chapter 15. I will admit right off the bat that yes, the driveway is in front of the wrong side of the Villa Savoye. The driveway really backs up to the flat, non-cantilevered side of the house. This view was chosen because it created a much more interesting image for the book. For the architectural purists, I deeply apologize. Some additional work was done on the building object to apply additional mental ray materials. The vehicle model on the driveway is the Dodge

28 XXVI INTRODUCTION Charger model from the XYZ vehicles collection that is included with the Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Sample Files Subscription download. The trees and shrubs in the scene include some of the foliage objects included with the AEC Extended objects in 3ds Max, as well as a number of the Xfrog Inc objects that are available for free at seek.autodesk.com. The scene is rendered with NVIDIA mental ray using the Glare and Depth of Field/Bokeh effect covered in Chapter 15, but with much higher settings than those used in the book. The final resolution of the cover rendering was 2160 pixels wide by 2780 pixels tall. The entire file took an excessive amount of time to render on a quad-core workstation with 8 gigabytes of RAM.

29 Chapter 1 Getting to Know Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Welcome to Mastering Autodesk 3ds Max Autodesk 3ds Max is the premier software package for 3D modeling, texturing, and animation, and it has many features specifically designed to assist artists, architects, engineers, and designers in various disciplines in the realization of their projects. It includes a Software Development Kit (SDK), which is used to develop plug-ins that give the program additional functionality. 3ds Max Design is a different installation and, in addition to having all the features of 3ds Max (except for the SDK), 3ds Max Design offers two exclusive tools. The Lighting Analysis tool is used to help meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 8.1 certification standards. The Civil Visualization Extension is a customized version of the Dynamite VSP plug-in for importing design data from AutoCAD Civil 3D or the Bentley MX design tools. In this book, we simply refer to the program as 3ds Max. Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 provides users with cutting-edge rendering technology, easy-to-use materials, improved interoperability with other related design and CAD software, enhancements to modeling and animation tools, and better viewport interactivity than ever before. This chapter introduces some of the special features of 3ds Max 2013, and then it gets you started working with the 3ds Max interface. In this chapter, you will learn to u u u u Navigate and configure the viewports Dock and float toolbars Copy objects and use the transform tools Create a named selection set Introducing the New 3ds Max 2013 Features 3ds Max 2013 is a notable release that extends the comprehensive features and functionality with new, exciting capabilities, and it also updates many existing features. This is an important release with a long list of improvements and additions that will greatly impact your projects, whether you have been using 3ds Max for a number of years or are new to the world of 3D. Each new version of 3ds Max incorporates fresh and exciting tools to enhance your capabilities and workflow while also increasing the performance of the program on your computer system. Utilizing these new features is a key to improving your skills and decreasing the time

30 2 CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW AUTODESK 3DS MAX 2013 it takes to complete your projects. When you start the program, you are presented with the Welcome To 3ds Max dialog box (see Figure 1.1), which includes links to Essential Skills Movies, which teach many of the basic skills for using 3ds Max. It also includes a link to the What s New section of the Help documents, which explain the new features and links to the 3ds Max Learning Channel on YouTube. Autodesk has done a tremendous job of regularly adding new content to that channel. The Welcome To 3ds Max dialog box also provides you quick access to start a new empty scene, the Open File dialog box, and a list of the last 10 files you have opened. Note that if you don t see this dialog box, you can go to the Help menu and click Essential Skills Movies from there. Figure 1.1 The Welcome To 3ds Max dialog box Here, in no particular order, are some of the high points of 3ds Max 2013: Modeless Array Dialog Box The Array dialog box is now modeless, meaning that you can interact with the 3ds Max 2013 viewports while the dialog box is open, so that you can adjust your views and see the preview of the array before you commit to it. This is a great ease-ofuse update for 3ds Max. Egg Spline A new default shape called Egg has been added to 3ds Max. This allows you to create a closed spline that resembles an egg. The spline shape includes a built-in Outline parameter. This feature is in both 3ds Max 2013 and 3ds Max Design 2013, and it is primarily used for support of the Autodesk Civil View Pipe Network tools that work only with 3ds Max Design Hair And Fur Hair And Fur has seen some updates for 3ds Max MassFX The MassFX dynamics tools from NVIDIA have been updated and now include cloth simulation, an updated Ragdoll (formerly Skeleton) system, and a Multi-Object Editor to modify selections of objects more easily. Dynamics simulations can now take advantage of and interact with standard 3ds Max Force space warps.