3ds Max Cottage Step 1 Always start out by setting up units: We re going with this setup as we will round everything off to one inch.
File/Import the CAD drawing Be sure Files of Type is set to all formats or AutoCAD drawing:
Turn on Rescale and set to inches: Turn off all layers except A-wall and click OK: Look at your layers (icon in the main menu)
Your file will look like this: Let s save the file now to Cottage001. (File/Save and then name.) To continue Tip: For better visibility, Hit F4 for edged faces Hit J to turn off the bounding box. Select the move tool: Set these all these values to 0 to position the drawing at the center of the grid.
Deselect the shape by clicking on the viewport background. Make a new layer and make it active with the check mark. Name it 3d model: Activate the top viewport Zoom to fit the shape. Activate the create tab in the command panel Activate Shapes with Splines Select Rectangle
Turn on Snap Right click on snap Set up snap to Vertex We will start with drawing the outer perimeters of the floor or foundation. Draw a box like this:
Name it floor-foundation in the modify tab (looks like a bending shape) Right click on the rectangle and convert to an editable spline The outer walls will have the same dimensions, so let's set that up. Right click/select clone
Name it walls Select copy (not instance) You now have 2 shapes exactly the same, one on top of the other. One is for the walls, one is for the floor. Walls is now selected. We have the outer wall. Next we need to create the inner walls. Go to the create tab in the command panel (looks like a white selection arrow) Tip your layers should look like this:
Turn OFF Start New Shape. This is counter-intuitive, but it will allow us to make the inner wall as part of the entire wall thickness. You'll see as we proceed. Draw the inner walls as shown below. No windows or doors, just match these white lines. Click Yes to close spline when finished drawing. In the modifier drop-down select Extrude. Set to 9 feet:
Lets extrude down the foundation now. Right click in layers to select: Select Extrude from the modifiers list: It will appear too tall at first. Set the height to minus 1 6 Set another color by clicking on the color swatch:
Now select the Walls and we will cut an opening for the door: Make sure the Walls object is selected. Drop down the modifier list and select Edit Poly Access the Polygon sub-object level: Turn on ignore backfacing: S
elect the Walls and hit Alt X to view in X-Ray mode hide Floor-foundation: Important select both the back and the front of this one wall. Use the control key to select more than one object in Max. Remember to arc rotate (orbit) around the object using the middle mouse button while holding down the Alt key.) Hit F2 to see through the red selection better:
Using slice plane to cut a hole for the door. Enter slice plane mode by making the Slice Plane button yellow. Rotate or move the plane into position, to make a cut. Turn on angle snap first: Rotate Slice plane, move into position, and make 2 as shown:
Rotate slice plane for the top position and cut. Use the read out for Z as shown below to 7' Exit slice plane by hitting the slice plane button so it is no longer yellow. Delete the 2 polygons of the door: Go to the border subobject level and select the openings on each side:
Click on Bridge to close the sides of the door: Now lets make the door for the doorway. Turn on Snap, making sure it is set to Vertex. In the Create panel, drop down and select Doors. Draw a door, snapping to the red lines; Click in a corner and drag across to make the width, drag forward to make the thickness, click and drag up to make the height. Each time you will snap to a vertex in the walls.
Make choices here regarding panels and set the pivot to flip swing 30 degrees: Tip hit the Esc key once or twice to exit door creation. Let's cut holes for 4 windows next. Select the front and back of the walls. Active Slice Plane again. Rotate and move the slice plane into position for the first edge. Tip: when in the move tool, you can use relative positioning for the width. When you hit enter the slice plane will move 4 feet on the X axis. Note the the numeric box will reset to 0.
Now go back to absolute measuring mode. Use 7' for the top horizontal cut and 3' for the bottom cut:
Delete the unwanted polygons: Exit the polygon sub-object level: Tip: click on the yellow.
In the create tab, drop down to windows: Tip: you can turn off angle snap. Make sure Snaps toggle is on. Try a sliding window. Tip: note the creation method, which is the order you are creating the window in. Make sure you zoom in enough to see what you are snapping to. I opened my window here:
Now we will clone the windows. Turn off angle snap. Holding down the shift key, drag a clone to the position of the second window. Make sure you choose copy not instance. Type in 3 to make 3 windows. When you hit OK you now have 4 windows: Select the walls object and use Alt-X on the keyboard to turn off X-ray view. Vary the window opening settings: