MASTERING 3D STUDIO VIZ 3

Transcription

1 MASTERING 3D STUDIO VIZ 3 George Omura SYBEX

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4 MASTERING 3D STUDIO VIZ 3 George Omura San Francisco Paris Düsseldorf Soest London

5 Associate Publisher: Cheryl Applewood Contracts and Licensing Manager: Kristine O Callaghan Acquisitions and Developmental Editor: Cheryl Applewood Editor: Rob Siedenburg, Publication Services Production Editor: Al Davis, Publication Services Technical Editor: Scott Onstott Book Designer: Franz Baumhackl Graphic Illustrator: (for line art) Don Waller, Publication Services Electronic Publishing Specialist: Jason Brown, Publication Services Proofreaders: Phil Hamer, Jenny Putman, Jim Rogers, Eric Hamrin Indexer: Matthew Spence CD Technicians: Keith McNeil, Siobhan Dowling CD Coordinator: Kara Eve Schwartz Cover Designer: Design Site Cover Illustrator/Photographer: Jack D. Myers Copyright 2001 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA World rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photograph, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Card Number: ISBN: SYBEX and the SYBEX logo are trademarks of SYBEX Inc. in the USA and other countries. Mastering is a trademark of SYBEX Inc. Screen reproductions produced with FullShot 99. FullShot 99 (c) Inbit Incorporated. All rights reserved. FullShot is a trademark of Inbit Incorporated. The CD interface was created using Macromedia Director, COPY- RIGHT 1994, Macromedia Inc. For more information on Macromedia and Macromedia Director, visit TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer. The author and publisher have made their best efforts to prepare this book, and the content is based upon final release software whenever possible. Portions of the manuscript may be based upon pre-release versions supplied by software manufacturer(s). The author and the publisher make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Manufactured in the United States of America

6 Software License Agreement: Terms and Conditions The media and/or any online materials accompanying this book that are available now or in the future contain programs and/or text files (the Software ) to be used in connection with the book. SYBEX hereby grants to you a license to use the Software, subject to the terms that follow. Your purchase, acceptance, or use of the Software will constitute your acceptance of such terms. The Software compilation is the property of SYBEX unless otherwise indicated and is protected by copyright to SYBEX or other copyright owner(s) as indicated in the media files (the Owner(s) ). You are hereby granted a single-user license to use the Software for your personal, noncommercial use only. You may not reproduce, sell, distribute, publish, circulate, or commercially exploit the Software, or any portion thereof, without the written consent of SYBEX and the specific copyright owner(s) of any component software included on this media. In the event that the Software or components include specific license requirements or end-user agreements, statements of condition, disclaimers, limitations, or warranties ( End-User License ), those End-User Licenses supersede the terms and conditions herein as to that particular Software component. Your purchase, acceptance, or use of the Software will constitute your acceptance of such End-User Licenses. By purchase, use, or acceptance of the Software you further agree to comply with all export laws and regulations of the United States as such laws and regulations may exist from time to time. Software Support Components of the supplemental Software and any offers associated with them may be supported by the specific Owner(s) of that material but they are not supported by SYBEX. Information regarding any available support may be obtained from the Owner(s) using the information provided in the appropriate read.me files or listed elsewhere on the media. Should the manufacturer(s) or other Owner(s) cease to offer support or decline to honor any offer, SYBEX bears no responsibility. This notice concerning support for the Software is provided for your information only. SYBEX is not the agent or principal of the Owner(s), and SYBEX is in no way responsible for providing any support for the Software, nor is it liable or responsible for any support provided, or not provided, by the Owner(s). Disclaimer SYBEX makes no warranty or representation, either expressed or implied, with respect to the Software or its contents, quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will SYBEX, its distributors, or dealers be liable to you or any other party for direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages arising out of the use of or inability to use the Software or its contents even if advised of the possibility of such damage. In the event that the Software includes an online update feature, SYBEX further disclaims any obligation to provide this feature for any specific duration other than the initial posting. The exclusion of implied warranties is not permitted by some states. Therefore, the above exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty provides you with specific legal rights; there may be other rights that you may have that vary from state to state. The pricing of the book with the Software by SYBEX reflects the allocation of risk and limitations on liability contained in this agreement of Terms and Conditions. Shareware Distribution This Software may contain various programs that are distributed as shareware. Copyright laws apply to both shareware and ordinary commercial software, and the copyright Owner(s) retains all rights. If you try a shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register it. Individual programs differ on details of trial periods, registration, and payment. Please observe the requirements stated in appropriate files. Copy Protection The Software in whole or in part may or may not be copy-protected or encrypted. However, in all cases, reselling or redistributing these files without authorization is expressly forbidden except as specifically provided for by the Owner(s) therein. Warranty SYBEX warrants the enclosed media to be free of physical defects for a period of ninety (90) days after purchase. The Software is not available from SYBEX in any other form or media than that enclosed herein or posted to If you discover a defect in the media during this warranty period, you may obtain a replacement of identical format at no charge by sending the defective media, postage prepaid, with proof of purchase to: SYBEX Inc. Customer Service Department 1151 Marina Village Parkway Alameda, CA (510) Fax: (510) info@sybex.com WEB: After the 90-day period, you can obtain replacement media of identical format by sending us the defective disk, proof of purchase, and a check or money order for $10, payable to SYBEX.

7 To Mom

8 Acknowledgments T he talents of many people have gone into the creation of this book, and I d like to express my gratitude to everyone who has worked so hard to make it possible. With gratitude, I d like to thank Melanie Spiller, who originally helped launch this project, and Cheryl Applewood at Sybex for her patience and understanding all through the writing process. My gratitude also goes to Colleen Strand, to Dan Mummert, for obtaining permissions, and to Rodda Leage for work in securing the software for the companion CD. At Publication Services, I d like to thank Jan Fisher, Customer Service Representative; Jason Brown, Coordinator; and Rob Siedenburg, Editor, along with the rest of the staff for their patience and efforts in the editing and production of this book. A big thanks also goes to Scott Onstott, Technical Editor, who gave many excellent comments and suggestions and kept me on the right track. I d like to thank the many members of ELS Architecture and Planning with whom I ve had the great pleasure to work: Clarence Mamuyac, Ed Noland, Jamie Rusin, Bruce Bullman, and David Petta all contributed samples from their projects for reproduction in this book. The 3D modeling work of Jeff Zieba, Chris Jung, Sudthida Chunkarndee, Ally Watts, and William Gordon appear in a number of the ELS renderings as well. I would also like to give a special thanks to Deanna Niebuhr and Janette Gross at ELS for their efforts in securing the all-important permissions to reprint the ELS images, and to David Fawcett for including me in so many great 3D projects. At Autodesk, a special thanks to Noah Kennedy for his positive encouragement in the early stages of this book and to Denis Cadu for his help in obtaining software. And finally, as always, a big thanks to my family Cynthia, Arthur, and Charles for their constant support and understanding throughout this project.

9 Contents at a Glance Introduction xix Chapter 1 Getting to Know VIZ Chapter 2 Introducing VIZ Objects Chapter 3 Creating Shapes with Splines Chapter 4 Editing Meshes for Complex Objects Chapter 5 Organizing and Editing Objects Chapter 6 Adding Cameras and Lights Chapter 7 Enhancing Models with Materials Chapter 8 Controlling Lights and Materials Chapter 9 Staging Your Design Chapter 10 Working with Files Chapter 11 Creating an Animation Chapter 12 Understanding Animation Files Chapter 13 Transferring Your Animations to Video Chapter 14 Using Photoshop with VIZ Chapter 15 Combining Photographs with VIZ Designs Chapter 16 Using AutoCAD with VIZ Appendix A Installation Notes

10 CONTENTS AT A GLANCE ix Appendix B Modifiers and Materials Appendix C Patches and NURBS Surfaces Appendix D Helpers and Effects

11 Contents Introduction xix Chapter 1 Getting to Know VIZ Getting Started Touring the Interface The Standard Menu Bar The Tab Panel The Standard Toolbar Toolbar Flyouts The Viewport Tools for Working with the Viewport Getting to Know the Command Panel Understanding VIZ s Tools Working with Objects Selecting and Moving 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 Summary Chapter 2 Introducing VIZ Objects Understanding Standard Primitives Adjusting an Object s Parameters Accessing Parameters Looking at the Other Primitives Molding Standard Primitives with Modifiers Adding a Modifier Accessing Modifier Parameters Inserting Modifiers Where You Want Them Understanding the Modifier Stack Tools How VIZ Sees Objects

12 CONTENTS xi Making Clones That Share Properties Creating an Instance Clone Understanding the Reference Clone Scaling and Rotating Objects with Transform Tools Making a Clone Unique Cloning a Modifier Looking at Extended Primitives Modeling a Couch Summary Chapter 3 Creating Shapes with Splines Drawing with Splines Drawing Straight-Line Segments Constraining Lines Vertically and Horizontally with Ortho Drawing Curves Lathing a Spline Modifying a Shape Using Sub-Object Levels Adjusting the Transform Gizmo Smoothing Out Spline Corners Creating Thickness with a Spline Rendering the Glass Drawing Walls with Splines Drawing Accurate Line Splines Giving Walls Thickness Using Grids and Snaps to Align Objects Accurately Adjusting a Wall Location Using Canned Shapes to Add Walls Combining and Editing Splines Joining Closed Splines with Boolean Tools Creating a Solid Shape with Splines Understanding the Different Spline Types Reducing Parametric Splines to Editable Splines Splines As Tubes Using the AEC Walls and Doors Summary Chapter 4 Editing Meshes for Complex Objects Creating an Opening 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 Creating Multiple Openings in a Single Wall Making Changes to the Opening

13 xii CONTENTS Tracing over a Sketch Importing a Bitmap Image Scaling the Image to the Model s Space Tracing over the Image Building Objects from Traced Lines Editing Meshes Creating a Tapered Wall Converting the Spline to a Mesh Moving a Single Vertex Tapering the Top of the Wall Using Instance Clones to Create Symmetric Forms Adding a User Grid to Aid Tracing Building the Tower Walls Adding the Vaulted Ceiling Creating the Smaller Towers Editing the Tower Walls Drawing the Remaining Walls Summary Chapter 5 Organizing and Editing Objects Naming Objects Organizing Objects by Layers Setting Up Layers Assigning Objects to Layers Assigning Color to Layers Setting the Current Layer Adding the Roof Setting Up the Shapes to Form the Roof Edge Lofting an Object Adjusting the Loft Profile in Relation to the Loft Path Fine-Tuning a Loft Object Using Different Shapes Along the Loft Path Adding a Third Shape to the Loft Using the Path Clone to Edit the Loft Path Adding the Remaining Parts of the Roof Using Soft Selections to Pull Vertices Summary Chapter 6 Adding Cameras and Lights Importing an AutoCAD Drawing Understanding the Import AutoCAD DWG File Dialog What Do AutoCAD Objects Become in VIZ? Understanding the VIZ Camera Adding a Camera Editing the Camera Location with the Viewport Tools

14 CONTENTS xiii 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 Adding Ambient Light 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 Summary Chapter 7 Enhancing Models with Materials Understanding Bitmap Texture Maps Diffuse Color Maps Surface Properties Adding Materials to Objects Understanding Material Libraries Adding Material Mapping Coordinates Understanding Mapping Coordinates What Happens When You Add the Mapping Coordinates Adjusting the UVW Map gizmo Editing Materials Adjusting Bitmap Strength Adjusting the Material Color Copying Color Settings Selectively Rendering Parts of Your Model Adding a Material to the Walls Selecting a Shader Fine-Tuning Color Mapping Materials to All the Faces of an Object Summary Chapter 8 Controlling Lights and Materials Adding a Background Making Adjustments to the Background Adding Effects with Light and Shadow Softening Shadow Edges Understanding Shadow Maps Using Ray Trace Shadows Adding a Highlight with an Omni Light Looking at Omni Light Options

15 xiv CONTENTS Adding Props Adding a Map Path to Help VIZ Find Bitmaps Creating a Tree Material Hiding Unwanted Surfaces with Opacity Maps Adjusting an Object to a Bitmap Shape Using Bump Maps Summary Chapter 9 Staging Your Design Setting Up a New Scene Assigning Materials to Parts of an Object Opening a Group Creating a Multi/Sub-Object Material Applying a Sub-Material to an Object s Surface Editing the Granite Tile Material Adding Reflected Light Adding a Reflective Surface Setting Up an Interior View Playing with Light and Shadow Creating Two Suns Adding a Second Sun Using Invisible Objects to Cast Shadows Using a Clone to Cast Shadows Rendering Regions of a Scene to Save Time Summary Chapter 10 Working with Files Adding Furniture Editing the Couch Grouping the Components of the Chair Adding a Material to the Chair 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 Importing Files from the Asset Browser Using VIZable Web Sites Arranging Furniture with Xref Designs Using the Virtual Frame Buffer to Save, Compare, and Print Rendered Views Printing Images Opening Multiple Frame Buffer Windows for Comparisons Zooming, Panning, and Controlling Channels in the Virtual Frame Buffer Window Obtaining Colors from External Bitmap Files Summary

16 CONTENTS xv Chapter 11 Creating an Animation Understanding the World of Video Time Creating Camera Motion Understanding Keyframes Increasing the Number of Frames in an Animation Segment Accelerating and Decelerating the Camera Motion Smoothly Editing Keyframes Moving a Keyframe s Location in Time 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 a Selected Set of Frames Speeding Up the Preview Rendering Time Adding Frames to the Beginning of a Segment Other Options for Previewing Your Motion Moving the Camera Target through Time Controlling Lights over Time Summary Chapter 12 Understanding Animation Files Render File Output Options Creating a Study Animation Creating a Quick Overall Study Animation Working with Backgrounds and Props Creating a Credible Background Using a Texture Map and Hemisphere for the Sky Making the Trees Appear 3D in the Animation Adding a Moving Car Automating Multiple Still Image Output Setting Up a Camera for Elevations Setting Up the Four Elevations Rendering a Sun Shadow Study Using the Walkthrough Assistant Creating a Walkthrough Camera Setting the Walkthrough_Cam Height The Animation File Output Options True Color versus 256 Colors File Naming in Animations Choosing an Image Size Other File Options Summary

17 xvi CONTENTS Chapter 13 Transferring Your Animations to Video Introduction to TV Video How Television Gets Its Picture How Television Resolution Is Determined Translating Computer Images into Video Translating Images from Computer to Video Video Formats Color and Video Video Quality Testing Using Computer Video Real-Time Recording Systems A-B Roll Editing The Digital Video Advantage Online versus Offline Editing Squeezing Video onto a Hard Drive Lossy Compression Means Loss of Quality InterFrame Compression Versus Intraframe Compression The AVI Codecs Video Capture Options Video and VIZ Field versus Frame Rendering Setting Up VIZ to Render Fields Understanding Gamma Correction Turning on and Adjusting Gamma Correction Video-Legal Colors Setting Your Monitor to SMPTE Standards Summary Chapter 14 Using Photoshop with VIZ Creating a Tree Map in Photoshop Selecting Areas in an Image Selecting Areas with the Lasso Selecting Specific Colors Creating the Opacity Map Using Quick Mask to Fine-Tune Your Selection Transferring a Selection to a New File Changing a Color to Black Softening the Edges with the Airbrush Tool Using Photoshop to Create a Montage Adding a Tree in the Foreground Creating Bump Maps for Elaborate Textures Using AutoCAD for the Outline Building Textures in Photoshop Testing the Image in VIZ Adding Irregularity and Color to the Material Adding Color through Photoshop

18 CONTENTS xvii Modeling with Displacement Maps Using the Displace Modifier Using Material Editor to Create Displaced Geometry Converting a Displacement Map into an Editable Mesh Creating an Editable Mesh from a Displacement Map Summary Chapter 15 Combining Photographs with VIZ Designs Mesh Editing with a Photograph Establishing the Basic Form Moving Vertices Adding Curvature Smoothing the Surface Adding Detail with Photographs Creating a Material for the Car Side Adding the UVW Map Adding the Front to the Car Smoothing the Mesh Matching Your Design 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..951 Matching the Design Image Quality to the Background Summary Chapter 16 Using AutoCAD with VIZ Creating Topography with Splines Updating Changes from an AutoCAD File Exploring Terrain Options Setting Up an AutoCAD Plan for VIZ Importing AutoCAD Plans into VIZ Creating a Floor with Openings Exploring the File Link Manager Editing Linked AutoCAD Files Understanding the File Link Manager Options Understanding File Link Settings Adding Stairs Tracing over Imported Lines Adjusting Stair Parameters Creating a Circular Stair Finishing the Stair Adding the Stair Walls Importing a Truss Summary

19 xviii CONTENTS Appendix A Installation Notes Appendix B Modifiers and Materials Appendix C Patches and NURBS Surfaces Appendix D Helpers and Effects Index

20 Introduction Much of your work as a designer involves sketches and drawings throughout the design process. Such graphic representations of designs not only help convey your ideas to others, they also help you see problems with a design and help you refine your ideas. 3D computer modeling and animation take design visualization way beyond hand-drawn sketches by allowing you to create a complete replica of your design and look at it from virtually any point of view. With 3D Studio VIZ 3, you can apply color, texture, and lighting to see how variations of these elements affect your design. You get a realistic view of your design so that you can make better decisions as you progress through the design process. Mastering 3D Studio VIZ 3 is intended to help architects and designers visualize and present their designs through images, 3D models, and animations. This book focuses on the use of 3D Studio VIZ 3 as a modeling and presentation tool. Since Mastering 3D Studio VIZ 3 is focused on design issues, you won t find an in-depth study of character animation or animated special effects, nor will you find a book that describes every single tool and function available. You will find step-by-step tutorials covering the major functions that you ll need as a designer. These tutorials are based on years of experience using 3D Studio VIZ and its precursor, 3D Studio Max, on real projects with real deadlines and requirements. You ll learn how to construct complex geometric forms and how to apply lighting and materials to study a design. You ll also learn how to create effects to emphasize parts of your design for presentations. 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 animated walk-throughs. Once you ve mastered those skills, you ll be equiped to confidently explore on your own 3D Studio VIZ 3 and its rich set of tools and options. To get the most from this book, you ll want to read the chapters sequentially from front to back, doing the tutorial exercises as you go along. Each chapter builds on the skills you learned from the previous chapter, so you can think of this book as your personal, self-paced course on 3D Studio VIZ 3. The first three chapters are intended to help you become familiar with the way 3D Studio VIZ 3 works and how it is organized. If you are already familiar with VIZ, you may want to skim through these chapters to become familiar with some of the new features. Chapters 4 and 5 show you how to build a fairly complex building, using a variety of tools. These chapters introduce you to some of the more common methods

21 xx INTRODUCTION of construction in VIZ. Chapters 6 through 10 show you how to use lighting and materials. Chapters 11 through 13 cover animation, and Chapters 14 through 16 delve into some of the finer points of modeling and rendering. At the back of the book, you ll find a set of appendixes that offer general reference information on some of the more commonly used tools in VIZ. Once you ve worked through the first half of the book, you can use the appendixes as an aid in your own exploration of VIZ. In fact, you may find it useful to skim over the appendixes once you ve completed the first three or four chapters so you ll have some understanding of their content. You can then refer to the appendixes as you work through the rest of the book. Finally, before you get started with the tutorials, make sure you ve installed the sample files from the companion CD. You ll need those files to complete many of the exercises. (See Appendix A for details on installing the sample files.) NOTE It is important that you set up VIZ to recognize the location of the sample files from the companion CD. Make sure you perform the instructions given in the section entitled Adding a Map Path to Help VIZ Find Bitmaps in Chapter 8. If you like, you can set up VIZ as described in that section, right after you ve installed the samples. 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. In Chapter 1, you ll get an introduction to the VIZ interface, and you ll get your first look at VIZ objects and how they are created. You ll also learn how to perform some basic editing operations such as moving, scaling, and copying objects. Toward the end of Chapter 1, you ll be introduced to the different ways you can view your designs in VIZ. Chapter 2 delves deeper into the workings of VIZ objects. You ll learn about the different types of objects available in VIZ and how you can use them to create the shapes you want. You ll learn how to manipulate VIZ s core set of shapes, called primitives, into more complex shapes. You ll also learn about the different ways you can duplicate shapes, and why these different duplication methods can help you quickly build your design. Chapter 3 looks at how you can create complex forms from simple lines. Here you ll learn how to manipulate a basic type of object called a spline shape, and turn it into a wall or a wineglass. You ll look at other wall creation options as well. In Chapter 4, you are introduced to object and editing methods that are common to architectural projects. In this chapter, you begin to model a well-known building,

22 INTRODUCTION xxi using a hand-drawn sketch as a background. You also focus on drawing objects that have unusual shapes. In Chapter 5, you continue working on the building you started in Chapter 4 by exploring ways to organize part of the design. In this chapter, you learn how to use object names and layers to help identify parts of the design. You also continue your exploration of modeling complex forms by building a complex roof form. Chapter 6 uses another well-known building as a vehicle for introducing you to cameras, lighting, and animation. Here you learn how to place cameras to obtain the view you want. You also learn about the different types of lighting and how to use them. Toward the end of the chapter, you are introduced to animation when you create a short flyby of a building. In Chapter 7, you build on the work you will have done in Chapter 6 while exploring materials. You are introduced to the many different properties of materials, such as color and bump map textures. You also learn how to align a texture to a surface. Chapter 8 continues with lighting and background control. You learn how to control shadows and background to affect the mood of your renderings. You are also introduced to methods for adding props such as trees and foliage to a design. Chapter 9 offers a look at the finer points of lighting, materials, and shadows. You learn how you can create a more realistic effect in your renderings by placing lights in strategic locations. You also learn how to add a material to a single surface of an object. Chapter 10 shows you different ways of using VIZ files. You learn how to combine files efficiently to allow distribution of work among other members of a design team. You also discover ways to share data between files. The later part of the chapter shows you how you can view and store different versions of a rendered view. Chapter 11 introduces you to animation. You learn how to create and control the animation of a camera to produce an animated flyby of the building you worked on in earlier chapters. You are also shown how you can edit an animated object s motion, preview your animation, and control lights over time. Chapter 12 continues your look at animation by exploring the options for file animation output, backgrounds and props, and other walkthrough animation tools. Chapter 13 covers some of the more technical issues you ll face when you re ready to distribute your animations. You ll learn about the different video storage options that are available and how they work. You ll also learn methods for getting the best quality from your animations. Chapter 14 explains how you can make use of Photoshop and other image-editing programs to enhance your use of VIZ. You ll learn how to quickly convert your own scanned image into custom-made props such as trees or foliage for your VIZ design. You ll also learn how bitmap images can be used to create geometric forms in VIZ.

23 xxii INTRODUCTION Chapter 15 continues your look at Photoshop and VIZ by showing you how you can convert a scanned image of a car into a 3D model of a car. Here you learn methods for editing meshes to shape them into smooth forms. In the second half of the chapter, you learn how to match a design to a background image to create a montage. Finally, Chapter 16 shows you how you can use AutoCAD files with VIZ. You ll learn the different ways that you can combine both 2D and 3D AutoCAD data with VIZ design files. You ll lean the best ways to prepare an AutoCAD drawing for import into VIZ, and you ll learn how you can use a single AutoCAD file as a shared data source for both AutoCAD and VIZ designs. Toward the end of this chapter, you ll be shown how to create stairs and import truss models from AutoCAD. System Requirements This book assumes that you already have 3D Studio VIZ 3 and a Pentium-based PC on which to run the software. In addition, you should perform a full installation of 3D Studio VIZ, including the optional tutorials and plug-ins. (See Appendix A for more on the installation of VIZ for this book.) The following list shows you the minimum system requirements for VIZ: Pentium II or III CPU at 300MHz or better 128MB RAM 3GB free disk space before VIZ software installation bit color display CD-ROM drive Windows NT 4 or 2000 Windows 98 will work, but VIZ performs much better on Windows NT 4 or Windows WARNING If you are running VIZ on Windows 98, make sure you have downloaded and installed the core.dll software patch from the Autodesk Web site. See Appendix A for details. The 3GB of free disk space includes space for sample files and general work space for your projects. For later chapters, you may want to have a copy of AutoCAD version 14, 2000, or 2000i and Photoshop 5.5. You can obtain a trial version of Photoshop from the Adobe Web site. As of this writing, you can order a trial version of AutoCAD 2000i from Autodesk s Web site. It is not essential to have these other programs, but you may find them useful companions to VIZ.

24 INTRODUCTION xxiii What s on the Companion CD As mentioned earlier, you will want to make sure that you ve installed the sample files from the companion CD included with this book. They are needed for many of the exercises that you ll encounter. You ll find installation instructions for the sample files in Appendix A. You ll also find a variety of other sample files and applications on the companion CD that will help you in your work with VIZ.

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26 chapter 1 GETTING TO KNOW VIZ

27 FEATURING Getting Started Touring the Interface Working with Objects Getting the View You Want

28 CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW VIZ Welcome to Mastering 3D Studio VIZ. The Kinetix product, 3D Studio VIZ, is a 3D modeling and rendering program geared toward the design professional. It is based on the very popular 3D Studio Max program, but with a few omissions and additions. As architects and industrial designers are not particularly interested in character animation, many of the features related to character animation in 3D Studio Max have been left out of VIZ. But you shouldn t feel that you ve gotten some cut-rate 3D software. VIZ includes many tools designed to help you visualize your ideas. You can think of 3D Studio VIZ as a version of 3D Studio Max that has been customized for the design professional. 3D Studio has been around for quite a while, starting out as a DOS-based program. Among some of its earliest users were many AutoCAD users looking for a good rendering tool. 3D Studio later became popular with game developers and in the film and broadcast industries. Its earliest DOS-based version was unique in being one of two serious 3D animation programs that ran on a desktop computer. When Windows became the dominant operating system, 3D Studio was reborn as 3D Studio Max, a completely rewritten version of the original 3D Studio. Today, 3D Studio Max competes with other high-end animation products such as SoftImage and Lightwave. Although Max has much to offer designers, it is increasingly being developed with a

29 4 CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW VIZ specific focus on the entertainment industry. VIZ was created to address the specific needs of architects and industrial designers using 3D Studio. 3D Studio VIZ offers most of the same powerful features as 3D Studio Max at about half the cost. It is unique in its goal of offering high-level rendering and animation tools for the design professional. In fact, there are many features that directly address the needs of users of the most popular 2D design program, AutoCAD. Among the new features in 3D Studio VIZ 3, you ll find enhanced linking with AutoCAD, which eases the flow of design data between the two programs. VIZ 3 now offers a layer tool and ray traced objects that let you simulate realistic refractions and reflections from materials such as glass and water. If you are a Lightscape user, you can include advanced radiosity rendering in your work, which offers unparalleled, real-life rendering of lighting effects. NOTE Radiosity rendering is a method of rendering whereby the interaction of light and materials is accurately simulated in the computer. This means that a light source s intensity, color, and direction can be reproduced within the framework of a 3D computer model. If a surface has a color, the light from a source reflects that color as it bounces around in a space. The net result is an image that in many cases cannot be distinguished from an actual photograph. Lightscape is a product from Discreet, a division of Autodesk. FIGURE 1.1 A sample of a 3D model using raytraced objects.

30 GETTING STARTED 5 3D Studio VIZ is also designed to take advantage of the Internet. With its Asset Browser and an Internet connection, you can quickly acquire 3D models and props that are available on the Web. File sharing across the Internet is also integrated into VIZ through its file system and file sharing capabilities. Getting Started In this chapter, you ll be introduced to the 3D Studio VIZ interface. Many of VIZ s components are typical for a Windows program, but quite a few are unique, so let s get started with our tour. After installing 3D Studio VIZ 3, start by doing one of the following: Double-click the 3D studio icon on the desktop. Choose Start Programs Autodesk 3D Studio VIZ 3D Studio VIZ R3 You ll see a variety of components in the 3D studio window (see Figure 1.2), some that are familiar and others that are not. FIGURE 1.2 The standard 3D Studio VIZ window. At the top, you see a typical menu bar and standard toolbar. Sandwiched between them is something called a tab panel, which offers custom tools and macros geared toward specific tasks. In the center, you see the viewport area, which currently shows a perspective view. At the bottom of the screen, you see the viewport navigation tools