NOTE: THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR CREATING A CHARACTER USING SUB-D FROM LAST YEAR'S CLASS. USE THEM ONLY AS A GUIDE TO MAKE YOUR OWN MODELS. SKIP WHAT YOU DON'T NEED:
Use these notes as a guide through the max assignments. These are not official assignment instructions, only notes that might help you if you forgot a technical procedure in the 3DS Max process flow.
Alot here, only use what you need!
Contents:
Follow the web tutorial as you go through these instructions:
Create a box : Create; Box; Click Drag (Make sure your proportions are the same as the torso)
Zoom windows to see it well: Zoom Extents All
Center it to original: Select and Move; set x,y,z = 0.0
Make it an Editable Patch: Modify; Modifier List Pull down; Edit Patch
Set Surface Steps to 0: Scroll Down to Surface; Make View and Render Steps = 0
Subdivide it in half along in x:
Right Click; Subobject->Edge
Select Top Front Edge; Geometry Rollout; SubDivide (Check Propagate Box)
Select Half; Delete
Give box1 a Wire Frame (and 2 sided) Material:
“m” to bring up the Material Editor; Click Wire Frame and 2 Sided
Click Diffuse and Choose Color
Apply this material to box 1: Apply Material to Selection
This is box 1, the cage
Make a Clone: Edit; Clone; Click Reference
Make it a Sub-Div Surface: Modifier List; Sub Division Surfaces; MeshSmooth
Give it 2 sub divisions: Subdivision Amount Rollout; Iterations = 2
Give Box2 a Non-wire (2 Sided) frame Material
“m” to bring up the Material Editor; Click Diffuse and Choose Color
Apply this material to box 2: Apply Material to Selection
This is box 2, the subdivsion surface controlled by the cage.
Set Edged Faces: Right Click over Perspective, Select Edged Faces
Mirror Box2: Mirror; Select Instance
Save your Sub-D Capsule for future uses
Subdivide the Cage:
Select Box 1: Right Click; Subobject: Edge
Select An Edge; Geometry RollOut: SubDivide (Propagate on)
Move SubDivide Vertices: Right Click; Subobject: Vertices; Select and Move
Extrude Patch:
Right Click; Subobject: Patch: Select Patch Quad
Extrude & Bevel Rollout; Extrude; Dial up Extrusion Control
Use this technique and the web tutorial to complete the starfish (wo)man.
Start experimenting with:
- the number of subdivisions
- preplanning there placement
- Scales, moves, rotations, besides extrusions
Attaching your StartFish
Man into one mesh
Save your sub-d starfish man max file: So you can return to it
Delete Box1 ( the cage) and Box3 ( the clone): Select (Goto Top Level) and Delete
Mirror box2 across the axis a Copy: Select Box2, Click Mirror with Copy checked
Convert the new copy to editable mesh: From Modifier List
Attach Sides: Geometry Rollout; Attach; click other side
Convert the new copy to editable mesh: From Modifier List
Weld Shared Row together:
Select Suboject: Vertex
Select the vertices in the shared row at the centerline of the model
Click on "weld" in the command panel
SoftSelection Editing
of Starfish Man
(do this to fine-tune local
shaping of model)
You must attach Starfish man into one object first (above)
Get in Vertex Mode: Right Click; Subobject: Vertices
Turn on soft selection: Soft Selection Rollout; Click Use Soft Selection box
Select Vertices; Change falloff in Soft Selection Rollout to effect falloff
Select and Move or Rotate or Scale a group of vertices
Create Box: Create a box around the starfish man
Flip the normals of the box:
Select Box; Modifier Mode:
In Modifier list; Select Normal under Mesh Editing
In the Parameters Rollout, Check flip normals
Adjust Size to fit and work with
starfish man (i.e. starfish man on floor)
Lighting (& Shadows)
StarFish Man
Add an Omni Light: Create; Lights: Omni; Click in Scene
Position it: Select and Move it checking results in Perspective Window
Check it: Select Appropriate View; Click Render (Teapot)
Add Target Spot: Same as above but for Target Spot
Position it: as above but now for source and spot
Check it: As above
Repeat Process adding another light as desired.
Change falloff of target: Modify; SpotLight Parameter Rollout, Change Hotspot, Falloff
Add a shadow:
Select one of your Target Spots; Modify;
Turn on Shadows in Shadow Parameter Rollout
Similar to get a light: Create; Camera; Click in Scene
Right Click on Perspective; views; Pick Camera 01 (Now you are looking through camera)
Use Corner Right Bottom Controls to adjust
Add a texture to Starfish man or box environment:
Add UV Mapping:
Select desired Object
Add UV Mapping: Modify; Modifier List; UV Map under UV Coord. Modifiers
Pick Mapping Parameters: mapping, Tiling (Get a texture to see results)
Apply texture and shading
Keyboard “m” to bring up the Material Editor
In Material Editor: Get Material: Material Library: Drag Material to Sphere preview
Click Assign Material to Selection; View result in Camera Window and via render
Adjust Mapping and Tiling (see Add UV Mapping instructions)
Adjust Lighting if necessary
Adjust shading Properties
Select appropriate Sphere Preview in Material editor
Select Shader and adjust Diffuse, Specular and their attributes
Add a bump map
In the maps rollout, add bump map ( copy form diffuse map); change amount
Render to preview results.
Experiment with difference shaders and textures from the maps folder
Try Concrete; Wood
Try the Glass ball shader from the Intro to Light tutorial
Sub-object Textures
and Materials and coloring
Create Sub Regions of an object to apply materials to:
Select Desired Object; Subobject-> Poly
Use the Smoothing Groups in Surface Properties Rollout
Select a sub region of polygons
Click Render Scene ( teapot with window)
For images
Pick appropriate image resolution
Click Files and choose file name, path and output format
For Movies ( Must have animation completed)
Pick Range or Frames in Time Output rollout ( in render scene)
Pick appropriate image resolution (320x 240 suggested)
Click Files and choose file name, path and movie output format (avi, mov suggested)
(cinepak a good compression codec)
Final Note: Review the class technical Q&A for additional advise and also submit your technical questions there or attend the open lab sessions to have your questions answered face to face.
Email us if you see errors in this document or if you have some notes that we can include about your 3dS Max process flow.