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Using Video Post to Make Jewels Sparkle in 3DS Max

2009-02-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Using Lens Effects to Make Lights Sparkle

To make these jewels really appear to sparkle, you will now add a light to the scene. The light will use Lens Effects to create add some of the optical effects you see in jewelry advertisements.

Select the Create tab.
Select the Lights icon.
Choose Omni.
Click to create a light near the upper right corner of the cross. Move the light down in the Front view until it rests just above the cross. The precise position of the light isn't important, as long as it is close to, and above, the cross.
Select the Modify tab.
Under the Atmospheres and Effects rollout, choose Add.
Select Lens Effects, then choose OK. Lens Effects let you apply optical effects to lights.
Select Lens Effects under the Atmospheres and Effects rollout.
Choose Setup.
In the window that pops open, Under the Lens Effects Parameters rollout, choose Ray, then the button to apply this effect to the light.
Choose Star then the button to apply another effect to the light.
Render the Perspective view again.

Tip

You can use the materials assigned to the objects in this scene to dress up your own objects. To add these materials to your own material library, just select the desired sample sphere in the Material Editor and choose the Put to Library button.

You will find our version of the finished project in 0331d.max in the self-extracting executable m0431a.exe.

Creating Refractive Materials in 3DS MAX

2009-02-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. CONTENT WATERMARKED.

Now that you have created the jewel geometry, you must create the refractive raytraced material that that will make it look like a jewel.

This material will be highly reflective, transparent and have a refraction index. These are the characteristics of jewels in the real world. Raytraced materials are useful because they more accurately reflect the way light and materials work together. They are particularly useful when you are creating objects with optical effects, like mirrors, glass objects, jewels, water, and so forth.

Type M to display the Material Editor.
Select an unused sample sphere.
Select the word Standard to the right of the word Type. This lets you specify the kind of material you want to create.

Double-click Raytrace from the list of material types.

Select the rectangular color swatch just to the right of the word Diffuse.
Use the Color Selector to create a dark green color. This specifies the color of the object in the unshiny areas.

In the Specular Level spinner, type 150. This makes the object have small specular highlights.
In the Glossiness spinner, type 60. This makes the specular highlights very bright.
Select the Transparency color swatch and make this color a lighter green.

Choose Close to exit this window.
In the Index of Ref. spinner, type 2.149. A high index of refraction makes it look as if light were bouncing around a great deal inside the object. Check out the MAX help system, under the topic Raytrace Material, for a list of refraction index values associated with various kinds of materials.

In the Material Editor, select the 2-Sided checkbox. This makes the faces inside the object reflect and refract light as well as the outside faces.

In the scene, select the cross, if it's not already selected.
Select the Assign Material to Selection icon in the Material Editor. You can drag and drop the sample sphere onto the cross, if you prefer.
Close the Material Editor.
Select the Display tab.
Choose Unhide All.
Adjust the position of the cross, if desired.
Render the Perspective view.

You will find our version of the project to this point in 0631c.max in the self-extracting executable m0431a.exe.

This tutorial continues . . .

Creating Jewels that Refract Light using Ray Tracing in 3DSmax

2009-02-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. CONTENT WATERMARKED

Introduction

In this project, you create a faceted cross by modifying a geosphere. After you create the cross, you create and assign a ray-traced material to the cross to make it look like it is carved from an emerald.

In this project, you learn how to:

Turn geospheres into jewels.
Shape geospheres using an FFDBox modifier.
Create a ray-traced material that refracts light like a green diamond.
Use lens effects to make a light sparkle.

This project also contains a diamond, ruby and sapphire material you can use in your own images and animations. If you wish, you can add the materials in this scene to your own material library.

For exclusive use of Licensed User Only

Creating Jewels with Facets

The easiest way to create a jewel is to start with a geosphere. Most jewels have surfaces composed of facets. There are lots of evenly and symmetrically distributed facets on a geosphere. You can use tools like FFDBox and Edit Mesh to move the vertices of the geosphere to create the desired effect.

Prior to proceeding with this project, open 0631a.max which can be found in the self-extracting executable m0631a.exe. To unpack the source files, just transfer the .exe file to a folder on your local hard disk. From the Windows Start menu, choose Run. Select the .exe, then choose OK. Specify where you would like the source files placed.

Follow these instructions to create a faceted cross.

Select the Sphere in the Front view.

Select the Modify tab.
Remove the check from the Smooth checkbox on the Modify command panel. This tells 3D Studio MAX not to smooth away facets on the sphere when it renders.
Select the Octa checkbox. This arranges the faces of the sphere in a common jewel cut. You can experiment with other options if you like.

On the Main Toolbar, choose the Select and Uniform Scale icon, then drag down to select the Select and Non-Uniform Scale button.
Drag down on the Z spinner located under the viewports to flatten the sphere.

In the Modify command panel, from the Modifier List select the FFD (Box) modifier. You will use this to modify the sphere.

In the command panel, select the Set Number of Points button.
Type 6 in all spinners to specify the number of control points on the object.

Choose OK to exit this window.

In the command panel, in the Modifier stack, select the + associated with the FFD(box) 6x6x6 entry.
Select Control Points from the list of sub-objects.
Select two points in the top view to put a window around the four control points indicated in the image.

Select the Non-Uniform Scale icon, if it is not already selected.
Move your mouse onto the band above and to the left of the inner triangle on the scale icon. It will turn yellow. Click and drag on the band to scale the vertices on the X and Y axis, but not the Z axis.
Choose the Select and Move icon on the Main toolbar.
Move the selected points to the position shown in the image.
Repeat this procedure for the remaining corners on the object.
Select, move and scale vertices until your cross looks like the one shown in the image.
Choose the Create tab to indicate that you don't want to move or scale control points any more.

You will find our version of the file to this point in 0631b.max in the self-extracting executable m0631a.exe.

This tutorial continues . . .

Using Video Post to Animate Lightning - Part 4 of a Free 3DS Max Tutorial

2009-02-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

In this lesson you learn how to animate the glow effect. Note that when you create keys for Video Post effects, they do not show up in the Track View editor. They can only be animated and edited from within Video Post. Also, Video Post animation information is saved when you save the entire .max file. If you save from within Video Post, using the Save Sequence icon, the animation information is not saved within the .vpx file.

From the Rendering menu, choose Video Post.
Double-click the Coil and Sphere Sparks entry in the queue.
Select the Setup button.
Select the AutoKey button, located in the lower right corner of the MAX screen, to turn it on.
Drag the Frame Slider to 0/45. This is the first frame of the animation. Note that you don't have to close or minimize Video Post to do this.
In the Lens Effects Glow window, select the Preferences tab.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This make the effect invisible on frame 0.
Drag the frame slider to frame 5/45.
Type 0 again in the Size spinner. Do this even though the value is already set to 0. You need to create a key on this frame to keep the effect off between frames 0 and 5.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Type 20 in the Size spinner. Note that red marks appear around the arrows associated with this spinner. This indicates that you have created a key for this value on this frame.
Drag the frame slider to frame 45/45.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This returns the effect to its invisible state.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Select the Inferno tab.
Type 20 in the Size spinner. This will make the sparks climbing the coil farther apart.
Type 55 in the Base spinner. This will make the sparks brighter over the course of the animation.
Drag the frame slider to frame 45/45.
Type 10 in the Size spinner. This will make the sparks
Type 50 in the Direction spinner. This will make the sparks appear to climb down the coil.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Drag the frame slider to frame 27/45.
Double-Click the Particle Sparks entry in the queue.
Choose the Setup button.
Select the Preferences tab.
Type 12 in the Size spinner.
Drag the frame slider to frame 37/45.
Type 0 in the Size spinner. This will make the effect fade away at this frame.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Select the Auto Key button to turn it off.
Click in a blank area of the Video Post queue.
Select the Add Image Output Event icon.
Select the Files button.
Type 0606.avi, or the name of the animation file you want to create.
Choose Save.
Choose OK.
Select the Execute Sequence icon.
Select the Range radio button to indicate you want to render all the frames.
Choose Render to render the scene.
From the File menu, choose View Image File.
Double-click 0606.avi. or the name of the animation you rendered, from the list of files.
Select the Play icon to play the animation.

You will find our version of the finished scene in 0706d.max. Both files were unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

Using Video Post to Assign Lightning to Materials - Part 3 of a Free 3DSMax Tutorial

2009-02-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

In this lesson you learn how to use Video Post to assign special effects to materials with specific Material Effect Channel numbers.

From the Rendering menu, choose Video Post.
Choose the Add Scene Event icon.
Choose OK to add this item to the Video Post queue. You are indicating that, when you render in Video Post, you want MAX to render the scene prior to applying special effects to the elements in the scene.
Select Perspective in the Video Post queue.
Select Add Image Filter Event icon at the top of the Video Post window.
In the Label box, type Coil and Sphere Sparks.
From the list of effects, choose Lens Effects Glow.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to apply a second Image Filter Event using Lens Effects Glow. Name the second effect Particle Sparks.
Double-click Particle Sparks in the Video Post queue.
Choose Setup. Note that if you choose Setup when you first create the event, you will find that you can't preview the scene prior to rendering.
Remove the check from the Object ID check box.
Select the Effects ID check box.
Type 1 in the Effects ID box to specify that you want to apply the glow effect you are about to define to objects that use a material with this Material Effects Channel.
Select the Preferences tab.
Choose the Gradient radio button. This indicates that you want to use a gradient to control the glow color.
Select the Inferno tab.
Select the Red, Green and Blue check boxes.
Drag the frame slider, located under the viewports in the scene, to frame 25/45.
Select the Preview button.
Select the VP Queue button. You will see sparks appear on the particles between the two spherical objects.
Choose OK to exit this window. In the next lesson you will animate this effect.
Double-Click the Coil and Sphere Sparks entry in the Video Post Queue.
Select the Effects ID check box.
Type 2 in the Effects ID box to specify that you want to apply the glow effect you are about to define to objects that use a material with this Material Effects Channel.
Select the Preferences tab.
Choose the Gradient radio button. This indicates that you want to use a gradient to control the glow color.
Select the Inferno tab.
Select the Fiery radio button.
Select the Preview and VP Queue buttons to preview the effect.
Select the Red and Green check boxes. You will see sparks appear on your objects.
Choose OK to exit this window.

You will find our version of the project to this point in 0706c.max unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

This tutorial continues . . .

Making Materials Use Material Channels in 3DS MAX - Part 2 of a Free Tutorial

2009-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

In this lesson you modify simple materials to make them capable of throwing sparks. To do this, you assign a Material Effects Channel to them. You associate this channel value with an effect in Video Post. This is how MAX knows which objects should have the effect.

Prior to proceeding with this project unpack the source files from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable. To do this transfer the .exe file to a folder on your local hard disk. From the Windows Start menu choose Run. Select the .exe file. Choose OK, then specify where the source files should be places.

Open the 0706a.max file. You will see two ball and coil assembles. If you select the Play Animation icon in the lower right corner of the screen you can watch the two objects, which represent Tesla coils, move toward and away from each other. Between the two objects you will see particle systems that fire particles at one another.
Type M to display the Material Editor.
Select the upper left sample sphere that contains the yellow material.
Select the Material Effects Channel icon, then choose 1. This material has already been assigned to the coils and spheres in the scene.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to assign the Material Effects Channel 2 to the metallic Particle Spark material located in the upper middle sample sphere.
Close the Material Editor.

You will find our version of the model to this point in 0706b.max unpacked from the m0706a.exe self-extracting executable.

This add supported tutorial continues . . .

Creating Lightning & Electricity in 3dsmax - a Free Tutorial

2009-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction

In this lesson you learn how to create and animate two kinds of electricity. You will find this project of special interest if you need to be able to create electrical sparks or lightning.

You learn how to:

Create materials that specify which objects throw sparks.
Apply Lens Effects Glow to specific materials.
Use Video Post to Combine Glow effects.
Animate Lens Effects
Render Animations with Video Post

By the time you complete this project you will feel comfortable creating a wide variety of electrical effects.

This ad-supported tutorial continues . . .

Modeling Furniture in 3DS Max (part 2)

2009-02-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

In this lesson you learn how to use the Bevel modifier to create a table top.

Type T to display a top view of the model.
Select the Zoom Extents All icon.
From the Create menu at the top of the screen, choose Shapes then Rectangle.
Click and drag to create the rectangle shown in the image.
Select the Arc Rotate icon in lower right corner of the screen.
Click and drag to display a 3D view of the model.
Using the techniques demonstrated previously, zoom in so you can see the table legs as well as the rectangle.
Select the Modify tab.
From the Modifier List, choose Bevel.
Under the Bevel Values rollout, under Level 1 type 2" to make the table 1 inch thick.
In the Level 1 Outline area, type 1" to make the table top 1" larger at the top than at the bottom.
Press F3 to display a wireframe view of the model if required.
Select the Level 2 check box.
In the Level 2 Height Spinner, type 1"
In the Level 2 Outline Spinner, type 2".
Select the Level 3 check box.
In the Level 3 Height Spinner, type 1", this makes the table top one inch thick.
Type L to display a Left view of the model.
Move the table top up to the top of the table.
In the command panel, choose the Generate Mapping Coords. check box to turn it on. This will make
sure the materials you apply to the table will render on the table top.
Use the techniques demonstrated previously to assign the Wood-Burl Oak material to the table top.
Use the techniques demonstrated previously to make all the elements of the table part of a group called Table.
Type C to display Camera view.
Render the scene.

You will find our version of the scene to this point in 0701b.max unpacked from the m0701a.exe self-extracting executable.

For exclusive use of Registered User Only

Modeling with the Taper and Shell Modifiers

In this lesson you learn how to create a lamp shade by extruding and tapering shapes.

Type T to display a top view of the model.
From the Create menu at the top of the screen, choose Shapes, then N-Gon.
Click and drag on the yellow light in the scene to create the N-Gon shown.
Select the Modify tab.
From the Modifier list, choose Extrude.
Type 3' to make the lamp shade 3 feet tall.
In the Segments spinner type 10. This will make the taper you will apply later smoother.
Remove the checks from the Cap Start and Cap End check boxes. This will make the lamp shade open at the top and bottom.
Select the Generate Mapping Coords check box.
From the modifier list, choose Shell. That will create surfaces on the inside of the box as well as the outside.
Type 2 to specify that you want the walls of the lamp shade to be 2 inches thick.
Type L to display a side view of the model.
Select the Zoom Extents All icon again.
Move the lamp shade up.
From the Modifier list, choose Taper.
In the Amount spinner, type -.3. This will make the shade smaller at the top than at the bottom.
In the Curve spinner, type -.3, this will make the shade curve in.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to modify the lamp pole so it looks something like the one shown.
Select the + associated with the Taper modifier in the modifier stack.
Select Gizmo.
Move the yellow gizmo that has appeared on the lamp up. This lets you position the taper effect.
Select Taper in the modifier stack. This makes it so you are no longer editing the gizmo.
Type M to display the Material Editor.
Apply the Lamp Shade - Radiosity material to the lamp shade. It gives off light like a light bulb when you render with radiosity.
Apply the wood material to its left to the tapered cylinder.
Turn the lamp elements into a group called Lamp.
Using the techniques demonstrated previously, create an instanced copy of the lamp on the other side of the table.
Type C to display a camera view.
Select the Display tab.
Choose Unhide All
From the Rendering menu, choose Render.
Make sure the Use Advanced Lighting and Compute Advanced Lighting When Required check boxes are on.
Make sure that under the Assign Renderer Rollout, the Production renderer is the Default Scanline Renderer. This scene is not configured to work with the Mental Ray rendering engine.
Choose Render to render the scene.

Tip:

Advanced Lighting's Exposure Control Options can have a major impact on how your images render. From the Rendering Menu, choose Advanced Lighting, then Exposure Control. Select . Then Render again. Note that the scene is far too bright. Previously MAX was correcting the image so it was not over exposed.

You will find our version of the finished scene in 0701d.max unpacked from the m0701a.exe self-extracting executable.

Creating Furniture in 3dsmax - A Modeling Tutorial

2009-02-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction

Want to learn how to furnish your environments quickly. This tutorial demonstrates easy ways to create furniture. You master many of the most commonly used modeling tools and methods, and become familiar with the effect of advanced lighting and exposure control on your images.

You learn how to:

Use the Edit Spline and Extrude modifiers to Create a Comfortable Couch.
Create Table Tops with Bevel
Model Lamp Shades and Lamp Stands with Taper
Group Objects
Change How Images Render with Radiosity and Exposure Control

By the time you complete this project you will have mastered several modifiers you can use to model very attractive objects.

Modeling with Extruded Shapes

In this lesson you learn how to convert a simple single line profile into a couch that looks comfortable enough to sit on. You also learn how to turn this object into furniture you can use in your own scenes.

Prior to proceeding with this lesson, extract the source files from the

m0701a.exe self-extracting executable. To do this, save the .exe file to a folder on your local hard disk. From the Windows Start menu, choose Run. Select the .exe file. Choose OK, then specify where the source files should be placed.

Open the 0701a.max.
Select the L-shaped curve in the scene. This was drawn using a Line shape.
Choose the Select and Move icon from the Main Toolbar.
Select the Modify tab.
Select the Vertex icon.
Select two points to put a window around the three vertices indicated in the following image. The vertices will turn red.
Right-click on one of the vertices, then choose Bezier. This will make the lines that pass through these vertices curve.
Select the middle vertex. You will see that a green line with "handles" on either end passes through it.
Select the Zoom in the lower right corner of the screen.
Click and drag to zoom in on the object.
Click and drag on the green boxes to shape the curve as shown below. Note that if you click too close to the red arrow associated with the X axis of the tripod that passes through the curve, you will find you can't moved the green handle up or down. If this happens, move the other green handle up or down.
Drag on the green arrow to move the vertex up.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to make your shape match the one shown.
Select the Vertex icon in the Modify command panel to turn it off.
From the Modifier list, choose Extrude.
Type 6' in the amount spinner.
Type 8 in the Segments spinner.
Select Arc Rotate icon in the lower right corner of the screen.
Click and drag to display a 3D view of your object.
Select the Zoom Extents All icon
From the Edit menu, choose Clone to create a copy of the object. You will modify the copy to create an arm for the couch.
Choose Copy from the list of options.
Choose OK.
In the Modify panel, in the Amount spinner, type -8". This will extrude the couch 8" in the opposite direction from the 6' extrusion.
Type 3 in the Segments spinner. This makes the object you are working on have viewer faces, which means it will render a little faster.
Right-click on the User label in the upper left corner of the screen, then choose Views, then choose Right. This displays a right view of the scene.
Select the Zoom Extents All icon located in the lower right corner of the screen.
Select the Modify tab.
Select the Line entry in the modifier stack.
Select the Vertex icon.
Select two points to put a window around the vertices shown in the following image. Note that you will only be able to select vertices on the current object, so don't worry about selecting vertices on the object you were working with originally.
Move the vertices up.
Select the Vertex icon to turn it off.
Select the Extrude entry at the top of the modifier list.
Type T to display a Top view of the model.
Choose the Zoom Extents All icon.
From the Edit menu, choose Clone.
Select Instance then choose OK. Selecting Instance means that changes you make to one arm of the couch will be reflected in the other arm.
Move the duplicate to the opposite end of the couch.
Select two points to put a window around the model.
From the Group menu choose Group.
Type Couch to name the collection of objects.
Choose OK.
Type M to display the Material library.
Select the Upholstery Beige material.
Drag and drop this onto the Couch.
Choose OK to accept the default material assignment option.
Close the Material Editor.
Type C to display a camera view of the model.
Render the scene.

You will find our version of the scene to this point in 0701b.max unpacked from the m0701a.exe self-extracting executable.

Tip:

From time to time, when you edit shapes, you may find that the axis tripod that appears on selected vertices makes it hard for you to move the green handles associated with Bezier curves. You can turn the tripod off if you like. From the Customize menu choose Preferences then the Gizmos tab and then in the Transform Gizmo group choose the On check box to turn it off. Remember to turn the gizmo back on later. Its a handy tool for moving objects straight up and down.

Tip:

When you want to edit objects that are part of a group, just select the group. From the Group menu choose Open. You can then select and edit objects in the group. From the Group menu, choose Close when you are done.

Tip:

You can extract grouped objects from a scene to their own independent file. This makes it easy to find them when you want to use them in other scenes. Just select the group, then from the File menu, choose Save Selected. Provide a name for the object. To insert the object into any other scene, From the File menu, choose Merge. Select the file that contains the object. Choose Open. Select the objects you want to merge, then choose OK. You may have to change the names of objects in the group in order not to replace objects in the current scene.

This ad-supported tutorial continues . . .