Using Video Post to Make Jewels Sparkle in 3DS Max

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.

1. Select the Create tab.
2. Select the Lights icon.
3. Choose Omni.
4. 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.

   

5. Select the Modify tab.
6. Under the Atmospheres and Effects rollout, choose Add.

   

7. Select Lens Effects, then choose OK. Lens Effects let you apply optical effects to lights.
8. Select Lens Effects under the Atmospheres and Effects rollout.
9. Choose Setup.
10. In the window that pops open, Under the Lens Effects Parameters rollout, choose Ray, then the button to apply this effect to the light.
11. Choose Star then the button to apply another effect to the light.

    

12. 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.

Modeling Furniture in 3DS Max (part 2)

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

1. Type T to display a top view of the model.
2. Select the Zoom Extents All icon.
3. From the Create menu at the top of the screen, choose Shapes then Rectangle.

   

4. Click and drag to create the rectangle shown in the image.

   

5. Select the Arc Rotate icon in lower right corner of the screen.
6. Click and drag to display a 3D view of the model.
7. Using the techniques demonstrated previously, zoom in so you can see the table legs as well as the rectangle.

   

8. Select the Modify tab.
9. From the Modifier List, choose Bevel.

   

10. Under the Bevel Values rollout, under Level 1 type 2" to make the table 1 inch thick.
11. In the Level 1 Outline area, type 1" to make the table top 1" larger at the top than at the bottom.

    

12. Press F3 to display a wireframe view of the model if required.
13. Select the Level 2 check box.
14. In the Level 2 Height Spinner, type 1"
15. In the Level 2 Outline Spinner, type 2".
16. Select the Level 3 check box.
17. In the Level 3 Height Spinner, type 1", this makes the table top one inch thick.

    

18. Type L to display a Left view of the model.
19. Move the table top up to the top of the table.

    

20. In the command panel, choose the Generate Mapping Coords. check box to turn it on. This will make
21. sure the materials you apply to the table will render on the table top.

    

22. Use the techniques demonstrated previously to assign the Wood-Burl Oak material to the table top.
23. Use the techniques demonstrated previously to make all the elements of the table part of a group called Table.
24. Type C to display Camera view.
25. 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.

www.complete-support.com Copyright ©1997-2005 OpenCAD International, Inc. www.opencad.com

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.

1. Type T to display a top view of the model.
2. From the Create menu at the top of the screen, choose Shapes, then N-Gon.
3. Click and drag on the yellow light in the scene to create the N-Gon shown.

   

4. Select the Modify tab.
5. From the Modifier list, choose Extrude.
6. Type 3' to make the lamp shade 3 feet tall.
7. In the Segments spinner type 10. This will make the taper you will apply later smoother.
8. Remove the checks from the Cap Start and Cap End check boxes. This will make the lamp shade open at the top and bottom.
9. Select the Generate Mapping Coords check box.

   

10. From the modifier list, choose Shell. That will create surfaces on the inside of the box as well as the outside.
11. Type 2 to specify that you want the walls of the lamp shade to be 2 inches thick.

    

12. Type L to display a side view of the model.
13. Select the Zoom Extents All icon again.
14. Move the lamp shade up.

    

15. From the Modifier list, choose Taper.
16. In the Amount spinner, type -.3. This will make the shade smaller at the top than at the bottom.
17. In the Curve spinner, type -.3, this will make the shade curve in.

    

18. Use the techniques just demonstrated to modify the lamp pole so it looks something like the one shown.

    

19. Select the + associated with the Taper modifier in the modifier stack.
20. Select Gizmo.
21. Move the yellow gizmo that has appeared on the lamp up. This lets you position the taper effect.

    

22. Select Taper in the modifier stack. This makes it so you are no longer editing the gizmo.
23. Type M to display the Material Editor.

    

24. Apply the Lamp Shade - Radiosity material to the lamp shade. It gives off light like a light bulb when you render with radiosity.
25. Apply the wood material to its left to the tapered cylinder.
26. Turn the lamp elements into a group called Lamp.
27. Using the techniques demonstrated previously, create an instanced copy of the lamp on the other side of the table.

    

28. Type C to display a camera view.
29. Select the Display tab.
30. Choose Unhide All

    

31. From the Rendering menu, choose Render.
32. Make sure the Use Advanced Lighting and Compute Advanced Lighting When Required check boxes are on.

    

33. 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.
34. 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.

www.complete-support.com Copyright ©1997-2005 OpenCAD International, Inc.
DO NO T DUPLICATE. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. Content Watermarked

Creating Furniture in 3dsmax - A Modeling Tutorial

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.

www.complete-support.com Copyright ©1997-2005 OpenCAD International, Inc.

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.

1. Open the 0701a.max.
2. Select the L-shaped curve in the scene. This was drawn using a Line shape.

   

3. Choose the Select and Move icon from the Main Toolbar.
4. Select the Modify tab.
5. Select the Vertex icon.

   

6. Select two points to put a window around the three vertices indicated in the following image. The vertices will turn red.

   

7. Right-click on one of the vertices, then choose Bezier. This will make the lines that pass through these vertices curve.

   

8. Select the middle vertex. You will see that a green line with "handles" on either end passes through it.

   

9. Select the Zoom in the lower right corner of the screen.
10. Click and drag to zoom in on the object.

    

11. 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.

    

12. Drag on the green arrow to move the vertex up.

    

13. Use the techniques just demonstrated to make your shape match the one shown.

    

14. Select the Vertex icon in the Modify command panel to turn it off.
15. From the Modifier list, choose Extrude.

    

16. Type 6' in the amount spinner.
17. Type 8 in the Segments spinner.
18. Select Arc Rotate icon in the lower right corner of the screen.
19. Click and drag to display a 3D view of your object.
20. Select the Zoom Extents All icon

    

21. 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.
22. Choose Copy from the list of options.

    

23. Choose OK.
24. In the Modify panel, in the Amount spinner, type -8". This will extrude the couch 8" in the opposite direction from the 6' extrusion.
25. 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.

    

26. 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.

    

27. Select the Zoom Extents All icon located in the lower right corner of the screen.

    

28. Select the Modify tab.
29. Select the Line entry in the modifier stack.
30. Select the Vertex icon.
31. 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.

    

32. Move the vertices up.

    

33. Select the Vertex icon to turn it off.
34. Select the Extrude entry at the top of the modifier list.

    

35. Type T to display a Top view of the model.
36. Choose the Zoom Extents All icon.

    

37. From the Edit menu, choose Clone.
38. 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.

    

39. Move the duplicate to the opposite end of the couch.

    

40. Select two points to put a window around the model.
41. From the Group menu choose Group.

    

42. Type Couch to name the collection of objects.
43. Choose OK.
44. Type M to display the Material library.
45. Select the Upholstery Beige material.

    

46. Drag and drop this onto the Couch.
47. Choose OK to accept the default material assignment option.
48. Close the Material Editor.
49. Type C to display a camera view of the model.
50. 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 . . .