Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials E-Book

Randi L. Derakhshani

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 440

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Get up to speed quickly with this compelling, full-color guide to Autodesk 3ds Max With its real-world, hands-on exercises, Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials helps new users learn the fundamentals of Autodesk 3ds Max quickly become productive. The task-based tutorials add real-world context that help you become familiar with the workflow scenarios of a professional environment, and provide that extra level of understanding to make you more proficient overall with the software. Updated for 3ds Max 2015 and recommended as a preparation resource for the 3ds Max certification exam, this guide teaches the basics of modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. You'll have fun creating a retro-style alarm clock, animating a thrown knife, modeling a chair, and more, all while you learn modeling, rigging, animating, rendering, architectural visualization, and other career-essential techniques. This colorful, engaging book features: * Chapter-opening learning objectives * Step-by-step tutorials * Full-color screenshots and illustrations * Downloadable exercise files Learn all the crucial techniques you'll need from authors Randi and Dariush Derakhshani, Autodesk Certified Instructors with years of professional experience under their belts. Artists, students, educators, and hobbyists will benefit from the guide's techniques and tutorials, getting to know the program as a whole and gaining insight into which aspects of the 3D production pipeline are most appealing. Whether you're a beginner or migrating from another 3D application, Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials provides the solid foundation.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title

Credits

Copyright

Publisher's Note

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Writing on the HP EliteBook

About the Authors

Introduction

Who Should Read This Book

What Is Covered in This Book

The Essentials Series

Chapter 1: The 3ds Max Interface

Navigate the Workspace

Transforming Objects Using Gizmos

Graphite Modeling Tools Set

Command Panel

Time Slider and Track Bar

File Management

Chapter 2: Your First 3ds Max Project

Set Up a Project Workflow

The Secret to Accurate Modeling: Reference Material!

Building a Simple Model

Creating Details Using Splines

Lathing, Extruding, and Beveling to Create 3D from 2D

Bringing It All Together

Chapter 3: Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part I

Setting Up the Scene

Building the Room

Adding Special Details to the Room

Chapter 4: Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part II

Model the Couch

Modeling the Lounge Chair

Chapter 5: Introduction to Animation

Animating the Ball

Reading Animation Curves

Refining the Animation

Chapter 6: Animation Principles

Anticipation and Momentum in Knife Throwing

Chapter 7: Character Modeling Part I

Setting Up the Scene

Blocking Out the Alien Model

Chapter 8: Character Modeling Part II

Creating the Alien Head

Building the Alien Hand

Building the Foot

Completing the Alien

Chapter 9: Introduction to Materials

Navigate the Slate Material Editor

Identify the Standard Material

Identify the mental ray Material

Identifying Shaders

Build Materials for the Couch

Build Materials for the Lounge Chair

Build Materials for the Window

Chapter 10: Textures and UV Workflow: The Alien

Define UVs on the Alien’s Body

Unwrap UVs on the Alien’s Body

Build the Material and Apply It to the Alien

Chapter 11: Character Studio: Rigging

Character Studio Workflow

Associating a Biped with the Alien Model

Skinning the Alien Model

Chapter 12: Character Studio: Animation

Animating the Alien

Freeform Animation

Modifying Animation in the Dope Sheet

Chapter 13: Introduction to Lighting: Interior Lighting

Recognizing 3ds Max Lights

Lighting a Still Life

Atmospherics and Effects

The Light Lister

Chapter 14: 3ds Max Rendering

Navigate the Render Setup Dialog

Render a Scene

Work with Cameras

Raytraced Reflections and Refractions

Render the Interior and Furniture

Chapter 15: mental ray

Navigate the mental ray Renderer

Navigate the Final Gather Parameters

Navigate mental ray Materials

Use Photometric Lights with mental ray

Use the Daylight System

Appendix A: Autodesk 3ds Max Certification

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 1: The 3ds Max Interface

Table 1-1: The 3ds Max interface elements*

Table 1-2: Viewport shortcuts

Table 1-3: Command panel functions

Appendix A: Autodesk 3ds Max Certification

Table A-1: 3ds Max 2015 exam objectives

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1: The 3ds Max Interface

Figure 1-1: Workspace drop-down menu

Figure 1-2: The 3ds Max interface elements

Figure 1-3: Viewport Layout tab bar

Figure 1-4: Viewport label menus showing the General Viewport, Point-of-View, and Shading Viewport menus

Figure 1-5: ViewCube navigation tool

Figure 1-6: Breakdown of the three mouse buttons

Figure 1-7: Quad menus

Figure 1-8: Viewport rendering options with the default Nitrous driver modes

Figure 1-9: The viewport navigation controls are handy, but the key/mouse combinations are much faster to use for navigation in viewports.

Figure 1-10: Gizmos for the transform tools

Figure 1-11: The Modeling tab found in the ribbon

Figure 1-12: The Min/Max toggle for the Graphite Modeling Tools set

Figure 1-13: The modifier stack in the Modify panel

Figure 1-14: Choosing Set Project Folder

Chapter 2: Your First 3ds Max Project

Figure 2-1: The clock to be modeled

Figure 2-2: Position and Length/Width Type-Ins in the plane Keyboard Entry rollout

Figure 2-3: Shading viewport label menu

Figure 2-4: The image planes with the clock images applied

Figure 2-5: Converting the cylinder to an editable poly

Figure 2-6: Select the back polygon of the cylinder; it is shaded red when selected.

Figure 2-7: Using the SwiftLoop tool, place three loops as shown.

Figure 2-8: Edges are scaled to match the image plane.

Figure 2-9: Bevel Settings will bring up the caddy for parameter input.

Figure 2-10: Clock body progress

Figure 2-11: Select the edge shown in this image.

Figure 2-12: Move the edges back.

Figure 2-13: Select and loop the edge to prepare for chamfer.

Figure 2-14: The chamfer performed on a looped edge

Figure 2-15: Select these four edges.

Figure 2-16: Chamfer result for the clock body’s edge and lip.

Figure 2-17: Add an edge loop with SwiftLoop.

Figure 2-18: The two edge loops chamfered

Figure 2-19: The clock handle

Figure 2-20: The intended cross section for the clock handle.

Figure 2-21: From the three sub-objects of the Line command, select Vertex.

Figure 2-22: Use the quad menu to modify the vertex type.

Figure 2-23: The line for the handle with all but the first and last vertices adjusted

Figure 2-24: Rendering enabled on the clock handle line, set to Radial

Figure 2-25: On the Selection Region flyout, choose the Fence Selection Region.

Figure 2-26: Use the Fence Selection Region to draw a selection around the desired vertices.

Figure 2-27: The finished handle

Figure 2-28: The bell’s profile line with the vertices numbered according to their creation order

Figure 2-29: Choose the Lathe modifier from the Modifier List.

Figure 2-30: The bell with the lathe center in the correct place

Figure 2-31: The image of the bell showing the three pieces to be created

Figure 2-32: The parameters for the three objects to be created

Figure 2-33: In the Group menu, choose Group and name the group Bell.

Figure 2-34: Text shape parameters

Figure 2-35: Bevel Values rollout showing all of the shape parameters for the number 12

Figure 2-36: Parameters rollout for the bevel modifier

Figure 2-37: Bevel modifier applied to the number

Figure 2-38: Use Refine to add two vertices to the right and left sides of the rectangle.

Figure 2-39: The clock hands positioned to match the clock face

Figure 2-40: Merge is found in the Application menu under Import.

Figure 2-41: The clock so far

Chapter 3: Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part I

Figure 3-1: Accessing the Units Setup options

Figure 3-2: From the US Standard drop-down menu, choose Feet w/Decimal Inches.

Figure 3-3: Images of the room to be created

Figure 3-4: The AutoCAD DWG/DXF Import Options dialog box

Figure 3-5: An AutoCAD drawing showing walls, doors, and window

Figure 3-6: The Grid and Snap Settings dialog box

Figure 3-7: The Parameters rollout for the Wall object

Figure 3-8: The finished wall shown in the Perspective viewport

Figure 3-9: Wall parameters

Figure 3-10: The Door object parameters

Figure 3-11: Use the Select And Link tool to create an opening in the wall for the door. This is necessary only if autolinking doesn’t work.

Figure 3-12: The sliding door in the wall

Figure 3-13: The window is centered on the wall.

Figure 3-14: Walls with doors and a window

Figure 3-15: Select the Line tool.

Figure 3-16: From the Modifier List drop-down menu, choose Extrude.

Figure 3-17: The Clone Options dialog box

Figure 3-18: The baseboard molding

Figure 3-19: Deleting the Extrude modifier in the modifier stack

Figure 3-20: Change the Outline amount to –0′6.0″ to offset the spline.

Figure 3-21: Profile of the baseboard molding

Figure 3-22: Picking the baseboard shape in the Sweep modifier

Figure 3-23: The baseboard molding is going through the door opening.

Figure 3-24: Use Refine to add two new vertices on either side of the door; then delete the segment.

Figure 3-25: The baseboard with proper gaps at the doors

Chapter 4: Modeling in 3ds Max: Architectural Model Part II

Figure 4-1: Couch with measurements

Figure 4-2: The Clone Options dialog box

Figure 4-3: The first few pieces to start the couch (left); the blocked-out couch (right)

Figure 4-4: Couch armrest with NURMS applied

Figure 4-5: Use the SwiftLoop tool to add edge loops to the box.

Figure 4-6: Decorative piping runs along the seams of the couch.

Figure 4-7: Select the highlighted edges.

Figure 4-8: Set the extrusion type to Local Normal.

Figure 4-9: The finished couch armrest

Figure 4-10: Add a new loop to the chaise box.

Figure 4-11: Use Extrude to create the wing on the chaise.

Figure 4-12: Use SwiftLoop to add an edge loop on the chaise cushion box.

Figure 4-13: The couch feet with measurements

Figure 4-14: The Taper parameters

Figure 4-15: The final couch

Figure 4-16: The chair for the spline-modeling exercise

Figure 4-17: The lounge chair with measurements

Figure 4-18: Mapped image planes in viewports

Figure 4-19: Create vertex points by following the numbers.

Figure 4-20: A vertex fillet creates two vertices from one and curves the segment between them.

Figure 4-21: The competed spline for the side of the lounge

Figure 4-22: Use Shift+Move to clone the chair spline so it lines up with the chair frame on the left.

Figure 4-23: Attach both sides of the chair frame.

Figure 4-24: Use Connect to create a segment between the two separate splines.

Figure 4-25: The finished lounge frame with spline rendering enabled

Figure 4-26: The arc frames are attached and connected at the base and top.

Figure 4-27: Arrange the vertices on the box so they follow the lounge chair frame.

Figure 4-28: Turning up NURMS iterations and using SwiftLoop to smooth out the model

Figure 4-29: Create straps using splines and the Rendering rollout.

Figure 4-30: The lounge base

Figure 4-31: Create a box the size of the base leg in the image plane.

Figure 4-32: Move the vertices so they line up with the image plane.

Figure 4-33: Use Extrude to begin the creation of the foot.

Figure 4-34: Add edge loops using SwiftLoop in designated areas.

Figure 4-35: The final base shown with frame and cushion

Figure 4-36: In the Merge dialog box, select the All button at the bottom of the dialog.

Chapter 5: Introduction to Animation

Figure 5-1: The time slider is used to change your position in time, counted in frames.

Figure 5-2: The Auto Key button records your animations.

Figure 5-3: Press Shift and drag the keyframe to copy it to frame 20.

Figure 5-4: The Curve Editor shows the animation curves of the ball.

Figure 5-5: Selecting Out Of Range Types

Figure 5-6: Choosing to loop your animation

Figure 5-7: The Curve Editor now shows the looped animation curve.

Figure 5-8: The object quickly accelerates to an ease-in stop.

Figure 5-9: The object eases out to acceleration and suddenly stops at its fastest velocity.

Figure 5-10: Ease-out and ease-in

Figure 5-11: Step interpolation makes the object “jump” suddenly from one value to the next.

Figure 5-12: The Curve Editor

Figure 5-13: The keyframe handle

Figure 5-14: Click the Open Mini Curve Editor button.

Figure 5-15: The effect of the new tangent type

Figure 5-16: Use the Select And Squash tool to squash the ball on impact.

Figure 5-17: The final curves

Figure 5-18: Enter a value of 100.

Figure 5-19: The X Position track of the ball does not look right.

Figure 5-20: The X Position curve for the ball’s movement now has no ease-out or ease-in.

Figure 5-21: The ball will not rotate properly because the pivot is at the bottom.

Figure 5-22: Align Sub-Object Selection dialog box

Figure 5-23: The Gizmo track’s Y-axis rotation is selected in the Controller window and Linear tangents are set.

Chapter 6: Animation Principles

Figure 6-1: Move the knife to the target at frame 30.

Figure 6-2: Move the knife up slightly at frame 15.

Figure 6-3: Change the frame range in the Time Configuration dialog box.

Figure 6-4: The initial curves for the knife

Figure 6-5: Finished curves with the position of the knife starting at frame 10

Figure 6-6: Turning on Trajectories for the knife

Figure 6-7: The curve shows the trajectory for the knife’s motion.

Figure 6-8: The Curve Editor graph for the rotation on the knife

Figure 6-9: Adjust the curve for the knife’s arc through the air.

Figure 6-10: Match your curve to this one.

Figure 6-11: Add a key to the beginning to create anticipation for the knife throw.

Figure 6-12: To create a believable anticipation for the knife throw, set your curve to resemble this one.

Figure 6-13: Your animation should end like this.

Figure 6-14: Link the knife to the target (left), and then rotate the target in the X-axis (right).

Figure 6-15: The target animation curve

Chapter 7: Character Modeling Part I

Figure 7-1: The Clone Options dialog box

Figure 7-2: Mapped image planes in viewports

Figure 7-3: Box parameters

Figure 7-4: Box position from the front and side views

Figure 7-5: Move the vertices to match the alien’s image in the Left viewport.

Figure 7-6: Move the vertices to match the alien’s image in the Front viewport.

Figure 7-7: Select and move vertices towards the center of the model.

Figure 7-8: Use SwiftLoop to place an edge on the model.

Figure 7-9: The Symmetry modifier creates a full torso.

Figure 7-10: The alien model with the Symmetry modifier and Use NURMS applied

Figure 7-11: Select the polygon in the armhole location.

Figure 7-12: Position the arm with the image plane.

Figure 7-13: Rotate the polygon 65 degrees.

Figure 7-14: Bevel settings for completing the arm to the wrist

Figure 7-15: Problems with the model are more evident with Use NURMS active.

Figure 7-16: Use SwiftLoop to add edges to fix problems with the model.

Figure 7-17: Select the polygon at the bottom of the alien model to begin blocking out the leg.

Figure 7-18: Use Scale to change the width of thigh, and then use the Shift+Move Extrude method to extrude the thigh.

Figure 7-19: The left side image shows the leg from the Front viewport, and the right side image shows the leg from the Left viewport.

Figure 7-20: Front view of the completed leg (left image); left view of the completed leg (right image)

Figure 7-21: The completed model shown from the Left and Front viewports

Figure 7-22: Areas to be refined on the model

Figure 7-23: The knee vertices moved to add more detail

Figure 7-24: With vertices added, the groin area is more refined.

Figure 7-25: Groin area with Use NURMS active

Figure 7-26: The left image shows the zoomed-out area; the right image shows the zoomed-in area where you need to select the vertex.

Figure 7-27: Move the three selected vertices closer to the center of the model.

Figure 7-28: The completed backside of the alien

Figure 7-29: The left image shows the elbow with the loops added; the right image shows the changes with Use NURMS turned on.

Figure 7-30: The final alien body; the left image is the front and the right image is the back.

Figure 7-31: Select the edges around the neck hole.

Figure 7-32: Use the Shift+Move Extrude method to create two more sets of polygons for the alien’s neck.

Figure 7-33: Using SwiftLoop, add a new edge to the top of the arm and neck to help in rounding out the neck.

Figure 7-34: The adjusted shape of the neck

Figure 7-35: Adjust the vertices to match the neck of the alien in the image plane.

Figure 7-36: Move up the vertices on the outside of the arm to round out the top of the arm.

Figure 7-37: Final neck and arm

Chapter 8: Character Modeling Part II

Figure 8-1: Align the box with the alien head.

Figure 8-2: Move the edges so they surround the eye.

Figure 8-3: By selecting the corners and scaling them inward, you make the head more spherical.

Figure 8-4: In Vertex mode edit the alien’s nose to match the image plane.

Figure 8-5: Move the new edges to create a small ridge around the eye socket.

Figure 8-6: To make sure the Scale gizmo is at the center of the selected edges, select Use Selection Center from the Use Center flyout on the main toolbar.

Figure 8-7: Select the edges on the head that were once the corners of the original box.

Figure 8-8: From the Front viewport, in Vertex mode, move the vertices so they match the alien’s jaw line in the image plane (right). Repeat from the Left viewport (left).

Figure 8-9: The refined head

Figure 8-10: The hand image plane positioned at the end of the wrist

Figure 8-11: The parameters for the box that will create the hand

Figure 8-12: Rearrange the vertices to match the palm in the image plane.

Figure 8-13: Select the three polygons to prepare for beveling the fingers.

Figure 8-14: Rearrange the thumb vertices to follow the thumb in the image plane.

Figure 8-15: The hand from the Top viewport

Figure 8-16: Select Local from the Reference Coordinate System drop-down menu.

Figure 8-17: The final alien hand shown and isolated

Figure 8-18: Select and scale the vertices together to form the heel; then select the second row from the top and move it down below the heel.

Figure 8-19: Edit the middle and top rows of vertices to further refine the foot.

Figure 8-20: Edit the line of vertices at the base of the toes.

Figure 8-21: Toes extruded using Bevel

Figure 8-22: The finished foot with the ankle

Figure 8-23: Hand and lower arm showing the borders meeting and the edges

Figure 8-24: The top of the wrist has an extra edge.

Figure 8-25: Use Cut to create new edges on the top of the hand.

Figure 8-26: Select the four vertices on the top front of the foot (left). Use Weld to combine the edges (right).

Figure 8-27: Use Cut to create an edge from the bottom of the lower leg to the bottom of the knee.

Figure 8-28: Select vertices on the outer edge of the leg and move them so the leg is more rounded.

Figure 8-29: Attach the foot to the leg using Target Weld.

Figure 8-30: Use the Cut tool to add new edges.

Figure 8-31: Select the old edges and use the Remove tool to properly delete them.

Figure 8-32: Use GeoPoly to rearrange the polygon into a circular shape.

Figure 8-33: Select the three vertices at the top of the neck (left). Use the Merge tool to combine the vertices (right).

Figure 8-34: The merged vertices on the front of the neck

Figure 8-35: Move the vertices at the neck to eliminate the twisting.

Figure 8-36: The completed alien model

Chapter 9: Introduction to Materials

Figure 9-1: The Slate Material Editor

Figure 9-2: The Standard material type shown in the Slate Material Editor

Figure 9-3: Shader types shown on rendered spheres

Figure 9-4: Material in the Material Editor and on the couch in the viewport

Figure 9-5: The render of the couch with a Standard material applied

Figure 9-6: The shortcut button to add an image or bitmap to your material

Figure 9-7: Choose Bitmap in the Material/Map Browser ⇒ Maps ⇒ Standard rollout to add an image to your material.

Figure 9-8: The couch with the fabric image applied

Figure 9-9: The Alignment section for the UVW Map modifier parameters

Figure 9-10: The final results of the couch mapping

Figure 9-11: Apply the Dark Red Wood material by clicking and dragging from the node’s output socket to the couch foot.

Figure 9-12: The couch fabric showing the subtle surface bumpiness

Figure 9-13: The couch fabric without the bump map (left) and with the bump map (right)

Figure 9-14: The lounge chair

Figure 9-15: The Leather texture is applied to the chair cushion.

Figure 9-16: The Chrome material applied to the lounge chair frame

Figure 9-17: Final reflections on the chair frame

Figure 9-18: The final materials applied to the lounge chair

Figure 9-19: Multi/Sub-Object material and parameters

Figure 9-20: Adding a Standard material to the Multi/Sub-Object Material node

Figure 9-21: Finished MSOM with five Standard materials added

Figure 9-22: The Multi/Sub-Object material applied to the window object shows the different colors applied to the different parts of the window.

Figure 9-23: Drag from the output socket of the Shiny White Plastic material into the input socket of the remaining ID slots of the Multi/Sub-Object material.

Figure 9-24: The completed window

Chapter 10: Textures and UV Workflow: The Alien

Figure 10-1: Uncheck Map Seams in the Configure rollout.

Figure 10-2: Click the Point-To-Point Seams button.

Figure 10-3: Pick this edge intersection to begin defining the seam (left). Choose the next point at the upper shoulder (middle).

Figure 10-4: Select the intersections under the arm.

Figure 10-5: Select edge intersections around the wrist to complete the forearm/wrist seam.

Figure 10-6: Add these seams to define the torso area.

Figure 10-7: Cut a new seam around the hand, starting as shown in the left image. Cut a seam around the fingers, as shown in the middle image, finishing at the opposite side of the wrist, as shown in the right image.

Figure 10-8: Using the Point-To-Point Seams tool to cut the seams for the left and right legs.

Figure 10-9: Cut a seam around the foot.

Figure 10-10: Cut seams for the head. Right image shows seams on the back of the head; left image shown seam that runs around the base of the nose.

Figure 10-11: Cut seams for the nose.

Figure 10-12: A low-contrast checker pattern is added to the alien model.

Figure 10-13: The arm’s polygons are selected.

Figure 10-14: The Edit UVWs and Pelt Map dialog boxes showing the left arm UVs

Figure 10-15: In the Pelt Map dialog box, use Start Pelt to unfold the UVs of the alien’s arm.

Figure 10-16: Use the Start Relax button to relax the UVs.

Figure 10-17: Both arms are pelted and relaxed.

Figure 10-18: The alien’s backside with its UVs pelted and relaxed, showing the checker pattern evenly laid out

Figure 10-19: Click the Select By Element UV Toggle.

Figure 10-20: Select an element in the Edit UVWs dialog box, and it will appear as selected on the model.

Figure 10-21: The Arrange Elements rollout

Figure 10-22: UVs placed within the UV space

Figure 10-23: Use Save Image button to create UV layout image.

Figure 10-24: The UV layout image.

Figure 10-25: The final map for the alien

Figure 10-26: The alien with the material applied

Figure 10-27: Bump map created in Photoshop by desaturating the original color map to create light and dark areas that conform to the original color texture

Figure 10-28: Alien rendered with the bump map

Figure 10-29: The specular map for the alien

Figure 10-30: Final render of the alien with the specular map applied

Chapter 11: Character Studio: Rigging

Figure 11-1: A bipedal character in the reference position

Figure 11-2: Skeleton, Male, Female, and Classic bipeds (from left to right)

Figure 11-3: Create a biped about the same height as the alien model.

Figure 11-4: Enter Figure mode in the Biped rollout.

Figure 11-5: Change the biped from the Structure rollout.

Figure 11-6: Match the positions of the biped’s pelvis and the alien’s pelvis.

Figure 11-7: Set the reference coordinate system to Local.

Figure 11-8: Scale the pelvis to fit.

Figure 11-9: Match the biped’s leg, foot, and toes with the alien’s.

Figure 11-10: Create the collection to paste the left leg hierarchy.

Figure 11-11: Copy the posture. The selected objects will appear in red in the preview.

Figure 11-12: Scale the spine links up to place the clavicles in position.

Figure 11-13: Arm positioned within the 3D mesh

Figure 11-14: Match the biped’s fingers to the model’s fingers.

Figure 11-15: Matching the head

Figure 11-16: Match the ponytail links with the nose.

Figure 11-17: The problem areas with the skin

Figure 11-18: The alien with the Edit Envelopes button active

Figure 11-19: Select the bone vertex and move it to make the envelope smaller.

Figure 11-20: Make the inside and outside envelopes smaller by selecting and moving the points.

Figure 11-21: The Bip001Spine2 bone after the envelope has been edited

Figure 11-22: In the Biped rollout, click at the bottom to reveal the Modes And Display rollout.

Figure 11-23: The rendered alien during a walk cycle

Chapter 12: Character Studio: Animation

Figure 12-1: Alien model with the jump sequence added

Figure 12-2: Selecting the head of the biped reveals all of that object’s animation keys in the track bar.

Figure 12-3: Delete the keys on either side of frame 50.

Figure 12-4: Rotate the head to the left and up.

Figure 12-5: Drag to copy the key.

Figure 12-6: Rotate the biped’s arm, hand, and finger to assume a pointing posture.

Figure 12-7: Use the Body Vertical button to position the biped for a jump.

Figure 12-8: Manually place the footsteps in the Top viewport.

Figure 12-9: Zoom to the footstep keys.

Figure 12-10: The dots indicate when contact begins and ends. You can drag a dot to change the duration of contact.

Figure 12-11: Create a key gap to get your biped airborne.

Figure 12-12: Prepare your biped to jump.

Figure 12-13: Position your biped in mid-jump.

Chapter 13: Introduction to Lighting: Interior Lighting

Figure 13-1: A target spotlight

Figure 13-2: The Spotlight Parameters rollout

Figure 13-3: The falloff of a spotlight

Figure 13-4: A target direct light

Figure 13-5: A target spot (left) and a target direct (right)

Figure 13-6: Free spot (left) and free direct (right) lights

Figure 13-7: An omni light is a single-point-source light.

Figure 13-8: Omni light (left) and directional light (right)

Figure 13-9: A three-point lighting schematic

Figure 13-10: Choose Standard from the Lights drop-down menu.

Figure 13-11: The spotlight’s position in the room

Figure 13-12: The Shading Viewport Label menu

Figure 13-13: The Still Life Camera viewport set to Realistic, showing new Hotspot/Beam and Falloff/Field settings (left); the rendered scene (right)

Figure 13-14: It looks good, but the scene shadows are too soft.

Figure 13-15: The render showing more defined shadows

Figure 13-16: Interior room with key light and fill light

Figure 13-17: Shadows with Density set to 0.8

Figure 13-18: Check the Use and Show boxes for Far Attenuation.

Figure 13-19: Far Attenuation set on the fill light as viewed from the Top viewport with all the scene objects hidden

Figure 13-20: A still life rendered with Far Attenuation

Figure 13-21: The Shadow Map Size setting affects the shadow detail.

Figure 13-22: The image on the left shows the shadow maps, which do not show transparencies. The image on the right show raytraced shadows and how they react to transparencies.

Figure 13-23: The light’s position shown in all the viewports

Figure 13-24: Interior room with the direct light in place as the sun

Figure 13-25: Ooh! Volume light!

Figure 13-26: The Environment and Effects dialog box displays the Volume Light parameters.

Figure 13-27: The final results of the volume light in the interior room

Figure 13-28: The Light Lister dialog box

Chapter 14: 3ds Max Rendering

Figure 14-1: The Render Output File dialog box defines how the render saves to disk.

Figure 14-2: The Rendered Frame window

Figure 14-3: The Rendering processing dialog shows you everything you want to know about your current render.

Figure 14-4: QuickTime compression settings affect the quality of the rendered QuickTime video file.

Figure 14-5: A camera as seen in the Perspective viewport

Figure 14-6: Stock lenses make it easy to pick the right lens for a scene.

Figure 14-7: The camera shown in the Top, Front, Left, and Camera001 viewports.

Figure 14-8: Move the camera in the Top viewport.

Figure 14-9: A far clipping plane cuts off the distant extents of a scene (left). A near clipping plane cuts off the extents directly in front of a camera (right).

Figure 14-10: The Safe Frames tab in the Viewport Configuration dialog box

Figure 14-11: Safe Frames shown in the Camera001 viewport

Figure 14-12: The Raytrace material with reflections set to the maximum

Figure 14-13: More accurate reflections are added to the coffee table legs.

Figure 14-14: The reflection map with falloff

Figure 14-15: The Extended Parameters rollout for the Raytrace material

Figure 14-16: The SuperSampling rollout

Figure 14-17: The wineglass with default SuperSampling (left); the SuperSampling modified (right)

Figure 14-18: A much more pronounced refraction is rendered with an IOR of 8.0.

Figure 14-19: Use the Raytrace map on the Refraction parameter to create refraction in the wineglass.

Figure 14-20: The Advanced Transparency section in the Extended Parameters rollout

Figure 14-21: Frame the material using the Zoom To Results feature in the Material Parameter Editor.

Figure 14-22: Plug the Raytrace map into the Reflection input socket of the Light Wood for Chess material.

Figure 14-23: The Time Output section setup for a range from 0 to 60

Chapter 15: mental ray

Figure 15-1: The Assign Renderer rollout

Figure 15-2: The Renderer tab shows mental ray’s common settings.

Figure 15-3: A Quality setting of 0.01 renders a noisy image.

Figure 15-4: A Quality setting of 20.0 renders a smooth image.

Figure 15-5: The Final Gathering (FG) rollout in the Global Illumination tab of the Render Setup dialog box

Figure 15-6: The Draft setting produces a test render of the spheres (left). The High setting produces a better-quality render of the spheres (right).

Figure 15-7: More diffuse bounces mean more bounced light.

Figure 15-8: The Rendered Frame window now shows several mental ray controls.

Figure 15-9: The file rendered with mental ray

Figure 15-10: Create a new view.

Figure 15-11: Arch & Design Glass (Solid Geometry) from the template drop-down menu

Figure 15-12: Refraction color changed to white to achieve clear glass

Figure 15-13: The message warns you about assigning a material with a duplicate name to an object.

Figure 15-14: The new Chrome material applied to the chair frame and side table

Figure 15-15: Floor with the Arch & Design material applied

Figure 15-16: The Hardwood Floors material showing the change in the reflections

Figure 15-17: The final render of the mental ray materials

Figure 15-18: Select

Yes

in the Photometric Light Creation dialog box.

Figure 15-19: The Distribution (Photometric Web) rollout

Figure 15-20: Exposure Control and mr Photographic Exposure Control rollouts in the Environment and Effects dialog box

Figure 15-21: The room so far

Figure 15-22: Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout showing the changed parameters

Figure 15-23: The room render with color and intensity changes

Figure 15-24: This mini panel gives you access to Final Gather controls to adjust your render easily.

Figure 15-25: The final mental ray render of the room’s interior lighting

Figure 15-26: The Daylight System Creation warning

Figure 15-27: Move the Daylight System light so it will shine through the window.

Figure 15-28: This scene is too dark.

Figure 15-29: Move the mr Sky Portal to the window in the wall in the Top viewport.

Figure 15-30: The final render

Guide

Cover

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AUTODESK® 3DS MAX® 2015

ESSENTIALS

Randi L. Derakhshani

Dariush Derakhshani

Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo

Development Editor: Kim Beaudet

Technical Editor: Jon McFarland

Production Editor: Rebecca Anderson

Copy Editor: Linda Recktenwald

Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan

Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley

Associate Publisher: Chris Webb

Book Designer: Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Compositor: Cody Gates, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: Jennifer Bennett, Word One New York

Indexer: Ted Laux

Project Coordinator, Cover: Lauren Buroker

Cover Designer: Wiley

Cover Image: Courtesy of Randi L. Derakhshani

Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-86721-1

ISBN: 978-1-118-86753-2 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-86770-9 (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, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

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 [phone], outside the U.S. at [phone] or fax [phone].

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931923

TRADEMARKS: Wiley 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.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Autodesk 3ds Max Essentials 2015. 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 1976. 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 email at [email protected]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Chris Webb

Associate Publisher, Sybex

To Max Henry

Acknowledgments

Education is an all-important goal in life and should always be approached with eagerness and earnestness. We would like to show appreciation to the teachers who inspired us; you can always remember the teachers who touched your life, and to them we say thanks. We would also like to thank all of our students, who taught us a lot during the course of our many combined academic years.

Special thanks go to Mariann Barsolo, Kim Beaudet, Rebecca Anderson, and Pete Gaughan, our editors at Sybex who have been professional, courteous, and ever patient. Our appreciation also goes to technical editor Jon McFarland, who worked hard to make sure this book is of the utmost quality. We could not have done this revision without their help.

In addition, thanks to Dariush’s mother and brother for their love and support, not to mention the life-saving babysitting services.

Writing on the HP EliteBook

Having a good computer system is important with this type of work, so a special thank you goes to HP for keeping us on the cutting edge of workstation hardware by providing us with a fully decked-out EliteBook 8760w, which was our primary computer in writing this book. What struck us about the laptop was that it was not only portable, making it easy for a writing team to collaborate; it was also powerful enough to run truly demanding tasks. It takes a special machine to run graphics-intensive applications, such as the Autodesk® 3ds Max® software, and we were thrilled to write this book on the HP EliteBook.

Running an Intel i7 CPU with 16GB of RAM and an NVidia Quadro 5010M (with a whopping 6GB of memory) gave us the muscle we needed to run multiple applications alongside 3ds Max splendidly. Dual 320GB hard drives gave us plenty of space for Windows 7 Professional and its applications, and still left lots of room for renders. We opted out of the RAID option to mirror the drives (you can also stripe them for performance), but that doesn’t mean we neglected our backup duties with this machine! The 8760w was easily integrated into a Gigabit network in the home office, and on fast Wi-Fi everywhere else, so we had constant access to the home network and the hundreds upon hundreds of files necessary to write this book (and all their backups!).

And since we are so very image-conscious (as in the screen!), we wondered if the images we created and captured for this book would be done justice on “just a laptop screen.” The EliteBook has a stunning 17-inch, 30-bit IPS display panel that put those questions to rest very quickly! The HP EliteBook screen is no less than professionally accurate and calibrated for optimum image clarity and correct color. Barely a handful of high-end mobile workstations could even come close to meeting the demands image professionals put on their gear. But this notebook HP DreamColor display is remarkable—there’s just no other way to put it—going as far as besting any of our desktop screens in color and vibrancy.

With performance at such a high level, and in a nice portable form, we were easily convinced that we should perform all of our intensive work for this book on the EliteBook. Going back to a desk-bound tower quickly became a non-option. Thanks, HP!

About the Authors

Randi L. Derakhshani is an Autodesk-Certified Instructor. She began working with computer graphics in 1992 and was hired by her instructor to work at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where she developed her skills with the Autodesk® 3ds Max® program and Shake, among many other programs. A teacher since 1999, Randi enjoys sharing her wisdom with young talent and watching them develop. Currently, she teaches a wide range of classes, from Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk® Maya®, and ZBrush to compositing with The Foundry’s Nuke. Juggling her teaching activities with caring for a little boy makes Randi a pretty busy lady.

Dariush Derakhshani is an Autodesk-Certified Instructor and Certified Evaluator, a visual-effects supervisor, a writer, and an educator in Los Angeles, California, as well as Randi’s husband. Dariush used Autodesk® AutoCAD® software in his architectural days and migrated to using 3D programs when his firm’s principal architects needed to visualize architectural designs in 3D on the computer. Dariush started using Alias PowerAnimator version 6 when he enrolled in USC Film School’s animation program, and he has been using Alias/Autodesk animation software for the past 14 years. He received an MFA in film, video, and computer animation from the USC Film School in 1997. He also holds a BA in architecture and theater from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He worked at a New Jersey architectural firm before moving to Los Angeles for film school. He has worked on feature films, music videos, and countless commercials as a 3D animator, as a CG/VFX supervisor, and sometimes as a compositor. Dariush also serves as an editor, and is on the advisory board of HDRI 3D, a professional computer graphics magazine from DMG Publishing.

Introduction

Welcome to Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2015 Essentials. The world of computer-generated (CG) imagery is fun and ever changing. Whether you are new to CG in general or are a CG veteran new to 3ds Max designing, you’ll find this book the perfect primer. It introduces you to the Autodesk 3ds Max software and shows how you can work with the program to create your art, whether it is animated or static in design.

This book exposes you to all facets of 3ds Max by introducing and plainly explaining its tools and functions to help you understand how the program operates—but it does not stop there. This book also explains the use of the tools and the ever-critical concepts behind the tools. You’ll find hands-on examples and tutorials that give you firsthand experience with the toolsets. Working through them will develop your skills and the conceptual knowledge that will carry you to further study with confidence. These tutorials expose you to various ways to accomplish tasks with this intricate and comprehensive artistic tool. These chapters should give you the confidence you need to venture deeper into the feature set in 3ds Max, either on your own or by using any of the software’s other learning tools and books as a guide.

Learning to use a powerful tool can be frustrating. You need to remember to pace yourself. The major complaints CG book readers have are that the pace is too fast and that the steps are too complicated or overwhelming. Addressing those complaints is a tough nut to crack, to be sure. No two readers are the same. However, this book offers the opportunity to run things at your own pace. The exercises and steps may seem confusing at times, but keep in mind that the more you try and the more you fail at some attempts, the more you will learn how to operate the 3ds Max engine. Experience is king when learning the workflow necessary for any software program, and with experience comes failure and aggravation. But try and try again. You will find that further attempts will always be easier and more fruitful.

Above all, however, this book aims to inspire you to use the 3ds Max program as a creative tool to achieve and explore your own artistic vision.

Who Should Read This Book

Anyone who is interested in learning to use the 3ds Max tools should start with this book.

If you are an educator, you will find a solid foundation on which to build a new course. You can also treat the book as a source of raw materials that you can adapt to fit an existing curriculum. Written in an open-ended style, Autodesk3ds Max 2015 Essentials contains several self-help tutorials for home study as well as plenty of material to fit into any class.

What You Will Learn

You will learn how to work in CG with Autodesk 3ds Max 2015. The important thing to keep in mind, however, is that this book is merely the beginning of your CG education. With the confidence you will gain from the exercises in this book, and the peace of mind you can have by using this book as a reference, you can go on to create your own increasingly complex CG projects.

What You Need

Hardware changes constantly and evolves faster than publications can keep up. Having a good solid machine is important to production, although simple home computers will be able to run the 3ds Max software quite well. Any laptop (with discrete graphics, not a netbook) or desktop PC running Windows XP Professional, Windows 7, or Windows 8 (32- or 64-bit) with at least 2GB of RAM and an Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo/Quad or AMD Phenom or higher processor will work. Of course, having a good video card will help; you can use any hardware-accelerated OpenGL or Direct3D video card. Your computer system should have at least a 2.4 GHz Core 2 or i5/i7 processor with 2GB of RAM, a few GBs of hard-drive space available, and a GeForce FX or ATI Radeon video card. Professionals may want to opt for workstation graphics cards, such as the ATI FirePro or the Quadro FX series of cards. The following systems would be good ones to use:

Intel i7, 4GB RAM, Quadro FX 2000, 400GB 7200 RPM hard disk

AMD Phenom II, 4GB RAM, ATI FirePro V5700, 400GB hard disk

You can check the list of system requirements at the following website: www.autodesk.com/3dsmax.

Free Autodesk Software for Students and Educators

The Autodesk Education Community is an online resource with more than five million members that enables educators and students to download—for free (see website for terms and conditions)—the same software used by professionals worldwide. You can also access additional tools and materials to help you design, visualize, and simulate ideas. Connect with other learners to stay current with the latest industry trends and get the most out of your designs. Get started today at www.autodesk.com/joinedu.

What Is Covered in This Book

Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 Essentials