Murdock

The book you need to succeed!

The best book on 3ds Max, no contest

If you need just one all-encompassing guide to all

things 3ds Max, this book is it. Whether you’re a

beginner looking for 3D basics or a full-fledged ani-

mator seeking creative new ways to catch everyone’s

attention, it’s all here. Packed with over a thousand

pages of professional tips, loads of savvy advice, and

more than 150 step-by-step tutorials, this book will

soon have you using 3ds Max like a pro.

• Quickly rig and animate complex characters using the CAT system

• Paint maps in the viewport using layers with the improved Viewport Canvas

• Render previews in a fraction of the time with the Quicksilver Hardware Renderer

• Use the Object Paint system to quickly position objects in the scene

• Import, edit, and export CAD models using the SAT file format

• Work with material nodes in the new Slate Material Editor

Valuable DVD Included

Add CAT muscle objectsAnimate a walking dinosaur Paint with objects

3d

s Ma

x® 2

011

What’s on the DVD?You’ll find before-and-after example files for every tutorial in the book. The DVD also includes:

• Unique new models and textures that you can customize for your own designs

• A searchable PDF of the book

System Requirements: See the DVD appendix for details and complete system requirements.

Also in the Book• A 16-page, full-color insert

showcases cutting-edge work from 3ds Max artists

Shelving Category:COMPUTERS / Programming / Games

Reader Level:Beginning to Advanced

$49.99 USA $59.99 Canada

www.wiley.com/compbooks

Covers both 3ds Max 2011 and 3ds Max 2011 Design

Cover Image © Keith Thompsonwww.keiththompsonart.com

Kelly L. Murdock

Get up to speed right away with Quick Start

Think lights, cameras, action—and create!

Render scenes with Quicksilver speed

3ds Max® 2011

DVD Included!• Trial version of 3ds Max• Examples and content from the book• Models and textures you can customize• Searchable PDF of the book

Full-color Insert• 16-page, full-color insert

with cutting-edge examples

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3ds Max® 2011 Bible

Kelly L. Murdock

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3ds Max® 2011 Bible

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.comCopyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-61777-9

Manufactured in the United States of America

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, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://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 WEBSITE 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 WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES 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 (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010930728

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and related trade dress 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. 3ds Max is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

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New York has a statue proclaiming liberty across the land,Arizona has a canyon that we all call grand.

Pamplona has its bulls causing all to flee,Tokyo artists are inspired by the famous Mount Fuji,

Paris has the Louvre and its tall Eiffel Tower,Niagara Falls shows to all its mighty power.

San Francisco has its bridge, and India, the Taj Mahal,Egypt has the Pyramids, and China its Great Wall.

Rome has the Colosseum, and the Amazon, its river,To climbers across the globe, Mt. Everest sends a shiver.

London has Big Ben, Russia has plenty of spires,And many visit to Yellowstone Park even after the recent fires.

But of all the places both far and wide,Home is the place that best fits my stride.

To my cousin, Jana Prins Kala, the great traveler, 2010

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About the AuthorKelly Murdock has been authoring computer books for many years now and still gets immense enjoy-ment from the completed work. His book credits include various 3D, graphics, multimedia, and Web titles, including ten previous editions of this book, 3ds Max Bible. Other major accomplishments include Google SketchUp Bible, Edgeloop Character Modeling for 3D Professionals Only, Maya 6 and 7 Revealed, LightWave 3D 8 Revealed, The Official Guide to Anime Studio, Poser 6, 7, and 8 Revealed, 3D Game Animation For Dummies, gmax Bible, Adobe Atmosphere Bible, Master VISUALLY HTML and XHTML, JavaScript Visual Blueprint, and co-authoring duties on two editions of the Illustrator Bible (for versions 9 and 10) and five editions of the Adobe Creative Suite Bible.

With a background in engineering and computer graphics, Kelly has been all over the 3D industry and still finds it fascinating. He’s used high-level CAD workstations for product design and analysis, com-pleted several large-scale visualization projects, created 3D models for feature films and games, worked as a freelance 3D artist, and even done some 3D programming. Kelly’s been using 3D Studio since ver-sion 3 for DOS. Kelly has also branched into training others in 3D technologies. He currently works as a production manager for an upcoming game company.

In his spare time, Kelly enjoys playing basketball.

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CreditsSenior Acquisitions EditorStephanie McComb

Project EditorMartin V. Minner

Technical EditorChasey D. Mitchell Jr.

Copy EditorGwenette Gaddis

Editorial DirectorRobyn Siesky

Editorial ManagerRosemarie Graham

Business ManagerAmy Knies

Senior Marketing ManagerSandy Smith

Vice President and Executive Group PublisherRichard Swadley

Vice President and Executive PublisherBarry Pruett

Project CoordinatorKatie Crocker

Graphics and Production SpecialistAna Carrillo

Quality Control TechniciansMelissa CossellJohn Greenough

Proofreading and IndexingChristine SabooniBroccoli Information Management

Media Development Project ManagerLaura Moss-Hollister

Media Development Assistant Project ManagerJenny Swisher

Media Development Associate ProducerDoug Kuhn

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Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxxix

Acknowledgments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  xlv

Part I: Getting Started with 3ds Max 1

Quick Start: Animating a Walking Dinosaur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Walking Dinosaur—Planning the Production .......................................................................3Setting Up the Scene .............................................................................................................4

Tutorial: Gathering models..........................................................................................4Tutorial: Adding a ground plane .................................................................................5

Adding Materials and Lights ..................................................................................................6Tutorial: Enabling mental ray and adding materials .....................................................6Tutorial: Adding a Sun & Sky system ..........................................................................8Tutorial: Rendering a preview .....................................................................................8

Animating the Dinosaur ......................................................................................................10Tutorial: Adding a preset CAT rig..............................................................................10Tutorial: Creating a walking motion path ..................................................................11Tutorial: Rendering the final animation .....................................................................13

Summary ............................................................................................................................14

Chapter 1: Exploring the Max Interface  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Learning the Interface Elements ..........................................................................................16Using the Menus .................................................................................................................18Using the Toolbars ..............................................................................................................20

Docking and floating toolbars ...................................................................................20Using tooltips and flyouts ..........................................................................................20Using the Quick Access toolbar .................................................................................21Learning the main toolbar .........................................................................................21Using the Ribbon ......................................................................................................24

Using the Viewports ............................................................................................................25Using the Command Panel ..................................................................................................25

Working with rollouts ...............................................................................................26Increasing the Command Panel’s width .....................................................................27Tutorial: Rearranging the interface for lefties .............................................................28

Using the Lower Interface Bar Controls ...............................................................................29

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Contents

Interacting with the Interface ..............................................................................................30Gaining quick access with the right-click quadmenus ...............................................30Using Caddy controls ................................................................................................31Understanding the button color cues ........................................................................32Using drag-and-drop features ....................................................................................33Controlling spinners..................................................................................................33Understanding modeless and persistent dialog boxes ................................................33

Getting Help .......................................................................................................................34Using the InfoCenter toolbar .....................................................................................34Viewing the Essential Skills Movies ...........................................................................36Using the browser-based reference guides .................................................................37Using the rest of the Help menu ................................................................................38

Summary ............................................................................................................................38

Chapter 2: Controlling and Configuring the Viewports  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Understanding 3D Space .....................................................................................................39

Learning Axonometric versus Perspective ..................................................................40Learning Orthographic and Isometric views ..............................................................40Discovering the viewports in Max .............................................................................41

Using the Navigation Gizmos ..............................................................................................42Working with the ViewCube .....................................................................................42Using the SteeringWheels ..........................................................................................43Tutorial: Navigating the active viewport ....................................................................46

Controlling Viewports with a Scroll Wheel Mouse ..............................................................47Using the Viewport Navigation Controls .............................................................................47

Zooming a view .........................................................................................................48Panning a view ..........................................................................................................49Walking through a view ............................................................................................49Rotating a view ..........................................................................................................49Maximizing the active viewport .................................................................................50Controlling camera and spotlight views .....................................................................52

Changing the Viewport Display ...........................................................................................52Undoing and saving viewport changes ......................................................................53Disabling and refreshing viewports ...........................................................................53Viewing materials in the viewports ............................................................................53Displaying lights and shadows in the viewports ........................................................54Enabling Exposure Control and Ambient Occlusion .................................................55Configuring viewport lighting and shadows ..............................................................55Locating mesh problems with xView .........................................................................57

Configuring the Viewports ..................................................................................................58Setting the viewport rendering method .....................................................................58Altering the viewport layout ......................................................................................64Using Safe Frames .....................................................................................................66Understanding Adaptive Degradation ........................................................................67

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ix

Contents

Defining regions ........................................................................................................70Viewing statistics .......................................................................................................72

Working with Viewport Backgrounds .................................................................................73Loading viewport background images .......................................................................74Loading viewport background animations .................................................................74Tutorial: Loading reference images for modeling .......................................................75

Summary ............................................................................................................................76

Chapter 3: Working with Files, Importing, and Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Working with Max Scene Files ............................................................................................77

Using the Application Button ....................................................................................77Starting new ..............................................................................................................78Saving files ................................................................................................................79Archiving files ...........................................................................................................81Opening files .............................................................................................................81Setting a Project Folder .............................................................................................82Merging and replacing objects ...................................................................................82Getting out ................................................................................................................83

Setting File Preferences .......................................................................................................83Handling files ............................................................................................................84Backing up files .........................................................................................................86Tutorial: Setting up Auto Backup ..............................................................................86Maintaining log files ..................................................................................................87

Importing and Exporting ....................................................................................................87Importing supported formats ....................................................................................87Import preference .....................................................................................................88Exporting supported formats .....................................................................................88Moving files to and from Maya and MotionBuilder ....................................................89Using the OBJ format ................................................................................................89Exporting to the JSR-184 (M3G) format ....................................................................92Exporting to the DWF format....................................................................................94Exporting utilities ......................................................................................................95Tutorial: Importing vector drawings from Illustrator .................................................96

Using the File Utilities .........................................................................................................98Using the Asset Browser utility ..................................................................................98Finding files with the Max File Finder utility ...........................................................100Collecting files with the Resource Collector utility ..................................................100Using the File Link Manager utility .........................................................................101Using i-drop ............................................................................................................101

Accessing File Information ................................................................................................102Displaying scene information ..................................................................................102Viewing file properties ............................................................................................102Viewing files ............................................................................................................103

Summary ..........................................................................................................................104

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Contents

Chapter 4: Customizing the Max Interface and Setting Preferences . . . . 105Using the Customize User Interface Window ....................................................................105

Customizing keyboard shortcuts .............................................................................105Customizing toolbars ..............................................................................................107Tutorial: Creating a custom toolbar .........................................................................108Customizing quadmenus .........................................................................................109Customizing menus ................................................................................................112Tutorial: Adding a new menu ..................................................................................112Customizing colors .................................................................................................113

Customizing the Ribbon ...................................................................................................114Making dynamic tools and panels ...........................................................................115Saving Ribbon changes ............................................................................................115Tutorial: Building a Ribbon panel of primitives .......................................................115

Customizing Modify and Utility Panel Buttons ..................................................................117Working with Custom Interfaces ......................................................................................117

Saving and loading a custom interface .....................................................................118Locking the interface ...............................................................................................119Reverting to the startup interface .............................................................................119Switching between default and custom interfaces ....................................................119

Configuring Paths .............................................................................................................120Configuring user paths ............................................................................................121Configuring system paths ........................................................................................122

Selecting System Units ......................................................................................................122Using Custom and Generic units .............................................................................123Handling mismatched units ....................................................................................124Rescaling world units ..............................................................................................124

Setting Preferences ............................................................................................................125General preferences .................................................................................................125Files panel preferences ............................................................................................127Viewport preferences ...............................................................................................128Gamma preferences .................................................................................................132Other preference panels ..........................................................................................134

Summary ..........................................................................................................................134

Part II: Working with Objects 135

Chapter 5: Creating and Editing Primitive Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Creating Primitive Objects ................................................................................................137

Using the Create menu ............................................................................................137Using the Create panel ............................................................................................138Naming and renaming objects .................................................................................139Assigning colors ......................................................................................................140Using the Color Clipboard ......................................................................................142Using different creation methods .............................................................................143Using the Keyboard Entry rollout for precise dimensions ........................................145

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Contents

Altering object parameters .......................................................................................145Recovering from mistakes and deleting objects ........................................................145Tutorial: Exploring the Platonic solids .....................................................................146

Exploring the Primitive Object Types ................................................................................147Starting with the Standard Primitives ......................................................................147Extended Primitives ................................................................................................152Modifying object parameters ...................................................................................160Tutorial: Filling a treasure chest with gems .............................................................161

Using Architecture Primitives ............................................................................................162Using AEC Objects ..................................................................................................162Tutorial: Adding stairs to a clock tower building .....................................................165

Summary ..........................................................................................................................166

Chapter 6: Selecting Objects and Setting Object Properties  . . . . . . . . . 167Selecting Objects ...............................................................................................................167

Selection filters ........................................................................................................168Select buttons ..........................................................................................................169Selecting with the Edit menu ...................................................................................170Selecting multiple objects ........................................................................................173Using the Paint Selection Region tool ......................................................................174Tutorial: Selecting objects .......................................................................................175Locking selection sets ..............................................................................................175Using named selection sets ......................................................................................176Editing named selections .........................................................................................176Isolating the current selection..................................................................................177Selecting objects in other interfaces .........................................................................178

Setting Object Properties ...................................................................................................179Viewing object information .....................................................................................180Setting display properties ........................................................................................180Setting rendering controls .......................................................................................182Enabling Motion Blur ..............................................................................................183Using the Advanced Lighting and mental ray panels ...............................................184Using the User-Defined panel ..................................................................................184

Hiding and Freezing Objects .............................................................................................184Using the Display Floater dialog box .......................................................................185Using the Display panel ...........................................................................................185Tutorial: Hidden toothbrushes ................................................................................187

Using Layers .....................................................................................................................188Using the Layer Manager .........................................................................................188Using the layer list ...................................................................................................191Tutorial: Dividing a scene into layers .......................................................................191

Using the Scene Explorer ..................................................................................................192Selecting and filtering objects ..................................................................................192Finding objects........................................................................................................194Editing in the Scene Explorer ..................................................................................195

Summary ..........................................................................................................................196

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Contents

Chapter 7: Transforming Objects, Pivoting, Aligning, and Snapping . . . 197Translating, Rotating, and Scaling Objects ........................................................................197

Translating objects ..................................................................................................197Rotating objects .......................................................................................................198Scaling objects .........................................................................................................198Using the transform buttons ....................................................................................199

Working with the Transformation Tools ...........................................................................199Working with the Transform Gizmos ......................................................................199Using the Transform Toolbox ..................................................................................202Using the Transform Type-In dialog box .................................................................203Using the status bar Type-In fields ..........................................................................204Understanding the Transform Managers ..................................................................204Tutorial: Landing a spaceship in port ......................................................................209

Using Pivot Points .............................................................................................................210Positioning pivot points ..........................................................................................210Aligning pivot points ...............................................................................................211Using the Working Pivot .........................................................................................211Transform adjustments............................................................................................212Using the Reset XForm utility ..................................................................................212Tutorial: A bee buzzing about a flower ....................................................................213

Using the Align Commands ..............................................................................................214Aligning objects.......................................................................................................214Using the Quick Align tool ......................................................................................215Aligning normals .....................................................................................................215Tutorial: Aligning a kissing couple ..........................................................................216Aligning to a view ...................................................................................................217

Using Grids .......................................................................................................................217The Home Grid .......................................................................................................217Creating and activating new grids ...........................................................................218Using AutoGrid .......................................................................................................218Tutorial: Creating a spyglass ....................................................................................219

Using Snap Options ..........................................................................................................219Tutorial: Creating a 2D outline of an object .............................................................221Setting snap points ..................................................................................................222Setting snap options ................................................................................................223Using the Snaps toolbar...........................................................................................224Tutorial: Creating a lattice for a methane molecule ..................................................224

Summary ..........................................................................................................................225

Chapter 8: Cloning Objects and Creating Object Arrays  . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Cloning Objects ................................................................................................................227

Using the Clone command ......................................................................................227Using the Shift-clone method ..................................................................................228Tutorial: Cloning dinosaurs .....................................................................................228Using Quick Clone ..................................................................................................230

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Contents

Understanding Cloning Options .......................................................................................230Working with copies, instances, and references .......................................................230Tutorial: Creating instanced doughnuts ..................................................................231Tutorial: Working with referenced apples ...............................................................231

Mirroring Objects .............................................................................................................233Using the Mirror command .....................................................................................233Tutorial: Mirroring a robot’s leg ..............................................................................234

Cloning over Time ............................................................................................................235Using the Snapshot command .................................................................................235Tutorial: Creating a path through a maze ................................................................236

Spacing Cloned Objects ....................................................................................................237Using the Spacing tool.............................................................................................237Tutorial: Stacking a row of dominoes ......................................................................238

Using the Clone and Align Tool ........................................................................................240Aligning source objects to destination objects .........................................................240Tutorial: Cloning and aligning trees on a beach .......................................................241

Creating Arrays of Objects ................................................................................................242Linear arrays ...........................................................................................................242Tutorial: Building a white picket fence ....................................................................243Circular arrays .........................................................................................................243Tutorial: Building a Ferris wheel .............................................................................244Working with a ring array .......................................................................................246Tutorial: Using Ring Array to create a carousel ........................................................246

Summary ..........................................................................................................................247

Chapter 9: Grouping, Linking, and Parenting Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Working with Groups .......................................................................................................249

Creating groups .......................................................................................................249Ungrouping objects .................................................................................................250Opening and closing groups ....................................................................................250Attaching and detaching objects ..............................................................................250Tutorial: Grouping a plane’s parts together .............................................................250Building assemblies .................................................................................................251

Understanding Parent, Child, and Root Relationships .......................................................252Building Links between Objects ........................................................................................253

Linking objects ........................................................................................................253Unlinking objects ....................................................................................................253Tutorial: Linking a family of ducks ..........................................................................254

Displaying Links and Hierarchies ......................................................................................255Displaying links in the viewport ..............................................................................255Viewing hierarchies .................................................................................................255

Working with Linked Objects ...........................................................................................256Locking inheriting transformations .........................................................................256Using the Link Inheritance utility ............................................................................256Selecting hierarchies ................................................................................................257

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Contents

Linking to dummies ................................................................................................257Tutorial: Circling the globe .....................................................................................257

Summary ..........................................................................................................................258

Part III: Modeling Basics 259

Chapter 10: Accessing Subobjects and Using Modeling Helpers . . . . . . 261Exploring the Model Types ...............................................................................................261

Parametric objects versus editable objects ...............................................................261Converting to editable objects .................................................................................263

Understanding Normals ....................................................................................................264Viewing normals .....................................................................................................264Tutorial: Cleaning up imported meshes ...................................................................265

Working with Subobjects ..................................................................................................266Using Soft Selection.................................................................................................267Tutorial: Soft selecting a heart shape from a plane ...................................................269Applying modifiers to subobject selections ..............................................................271

Using Modeling Helpers ....................................................................................................271Using Dummy and Point objects .............................................................................271Measuring coordinate distances ...............................................................................272

Summary ..........................................................................................................................274

Chapter 11: Introducing Modifiers and Using the Modifier Stack  . . . . . 275Exploring the Modifier Stack .............................................................................................275

Understanding Base Objects ....................................................................................275Applying modifiers ..................................................................................................276Other Modifier Stack entities ...................................................................................276Using the Modifier Stack .........................................................................................276Reordering the Stack ...............................................................................................279Tutorial: Creating a molecular chain .......................................................................279Holding and fetching a scene ..................................................................................280Collapsing the Stack ................................................................................................281Using the Collapse utility ........................................................................................281Using gizmo subobjects ...........................................................................................282Tutorial: Squeezing a plastic bottle ..........................................................................282Modifying subobjects ..............................................................................................283Topology dependency .............................................................................................283

Exploring Modifier Types ..................................................................................................284Object-Space versus World-Space modifiers ...........................................................285Selection modifiers ..................................................................................................285Parametric Deformer modifiers ................................................................................288Free Form Deformer modifiers ................................................................................304

Summary ..........................................................................................................................306

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Contents

Chapter 12: Drawing and Editing 2D Splines and Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . 307Drawing in 2D ..................................................................................................................307

Working with shape primitives ...............................................................................308Tutorial: Drawing a company logo ..........................................................................319Tutorial: Viewing the interior of a heart ...................................................................320

Editing Splines ..................................................................................................................321Editable Splines versus the Edit Spline modifier ......................................................321Making splines renderable .......................................................................................321Selecting spline subobjects ......................................................................................321Controlling spline geometry ....................................................................................324Editing vertices........................................................................................................328Editing segments .....................................................................................................334Editing Spline subobjects ........................................................................................336

Using Spline Modifiers ......................................................................................................340Spline-specific modifiers .........................................................................................340Moving splines to 3D ..............................................................................................343

Summary ..........................................................................................................................348

Chapter 13: Modeling with Polygons and Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349Understanding Poly Objects ..............................................................................................349Creating Editable Poly Objects ..........................................................................................351

Converting objects ..................................................................................................351Collapsing to a mesh object .....................................................................................351Applying the Edit Poly modifier ..............................................................................351

Editing Poly Objects .........................................................................................................351Editable Poly subobject modes ................................................................................352Subobject selection ..................................................................................................353Tutorial: Modeling a clown head .............................................................................355Editing geometry .....................................................................................................355Editing Vertex subobjects ........................................................................................363Editing Edge subobjects ..........................................................................................366Editing Border subobjects .......................................................................................370Editing Polygon and Element subobjects .................................................................372Surface properties ...................................................................................................376Tutorial: Modeling a tooth.......................................................................................378

Introducing Patch Grids ....................................................................................................379Creating a patch grid ...............................................................................................380Tutorial: Creating a checkerboard ...........................................................................380

Editing Patches .................................................................................................................381Editable patches versus the Edit Patch modifier ......................................................382Selecting patch subobjects .......................................................................................382Working with patch Geometry ................................................................................384Editing vertices........................................................................................................385Editing handles .......................................................................................................388

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Contents

Editing edges ...........................................................................................................388Editing patch and element subobjects .....................................................................390Tutorial: Creating a maple leaf from patches ...........................................................393

Using Modifiers on Patch Objects .....................................................................................394Patch Select modifier ...............................................................................................394Edit Patch modifier .................................................................................................394Delete Patch modifier ..............................................................................................395Using the Surface tools ............................................................................................395

Summary ..........................................................................................................................398

Chapter 14: Using the Graphite Modeling Tools and Painting with Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Working with the Graphite Modeling Tools ......................................................................399Using the Polygon Modeling panel ..........................................................................401Using the Modify Selection panel ............................................................................404Editing geometry .....................................................................................................406Editing Vertex subobjects ........................................................................................413Editing Edge and Border subobjects ........................................................................415Editing Polygon and Element subobjects .................................................................417Surface properties ...................................................................................................419

Using the Freeform Tools ..................................................................................................420Using the PolyDraw tools ........................................................................................420Using the Paint Deform tools ...................................................................................423

Using the Selection Tools ..................................................................................................424Selecting Tops, Open, and Non-Quads ...................................................................424Copying and pasting selections ...............................................................................424Selecting by criteria .................................................................................................425

Using the Object Paint Tools .............................................................................................427Selecting an object to paint with ..............................................................................427Painting with objects ...............................................................................................428Painting with multiple objects .................................................................................430Painting on objects ..................................................................................................431Using the Paint Fill mode ........................................................................................432Painting with animated objects ................................................................................432Tutorial: Painting a scar ...........................................................................................433

Summary ..........................................................................................................................434

Part IV: Materials, Cameras, and Lighting Basics 435

Chapter 15: Using the Slate Material Editor  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437Understanding Material Properties ....................................................................................437

Colors .....................................................................................................................437Opacity and transparency ........................................................................................438Reflection and refraction .........................................................................................439Shininess and specular highlights ............................................................................439Other properties ......................................................................................................439

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Working with the Slate Material Editor .............................................................................440Using the Slate Material Editor controls ...................................................................440Loading the Material Node View panel ....................................................................442Navigating the Material Node View panel ................................................................442Selecting and applying materials .............................................................................444Changing the material preview ...............................................................................444Selecting objects by material....................................................................................445Setting Slate Material Editor preferences ..................................................................445Removing materials and maps .................................................................................445Using the Fix Ambient utility ..................................................................................446Tutorial: Coloring Easter eggs .................................................................................446

Using the Material/Map Browser .......................................................................................448Working with libraries ............................................................................................448Tutorial: Loading a custom material library .............................................................449

Using the Material Explorer ..............................................................................................449Summary ..........................................................................................................................452

Chapter 16: Creating and Applying Standard Materials  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453Using the Standard Material ..............................................................................................453Using Shading Types .........................................................................................................453

Blinn shader ............................................................................................................454Phong shader ..........................................................................................................456Anisotropic shader ..................................................................................................457Multi-Layer shader ..................................................................................................457Oren-Nayar-Blinn shader ........................................................................................458Metal shader ............................................................................................................458Strauss shader .........................................................................................................458Translucent shader ..................................................................................................459Tutorial: Making curtains translucent ......................................................................459

Accessing Other Parameters ..............................................................................................460Extended Parameters rollout ...................................................................................460SuperSampling rollout ............................................................................................461Maps rollout ............................................................................................................462Dynamic Properties rollout......................................................................................463DirectX Manager rollout ..........................................................................................463mental ray connection rollout .................................................................................463Tutorial: Coloring a dolphin ....................................................................................463

Summary ..........................................................................................................................465

Chapter 17: Adding Material Details with Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467Understanding Maps .........................................................................................................467

Different map types .................................................................................................467Enabling the global viewport rendering setting ........................................................468Using Real-World maps ..........................................................................................468

Working with Maps ..........................................................................................................468Connecting maps to materials .................................................................................469

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Understanding Map Types ................................................................................................4712D maps..................................................................................................................4713D maps..................................................................................................................482Compositor maps ....................................................................................................488Color Modifier maps ...............................................................................................490Miscellaneous maps.................................................................................................492

Using the Maps Rollout .....................................................................................................496Tutorial: Aging objects for realism ...........................................................................498

Using the Map Path Utility ................................................................................................500Using Map Instances .........................................................................................................500Creating Textures with External Tools ..............................................................................501

Creating material textures using Photoshop ............................................................501Capturing digital images..........................................................................................503Scanning images ......................................................................................................504Tutorial: Creating a fishing net ................................................................................504

Summary ..........................................................................................................................505

Chapter 18: Creating Compound Materials and Using Material Modifiers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

Using Compound Materials ..............................................................................................507Blend.......................................................................................................................508Composite ...............................................................................................................509Double Sided ..........................................................................................................510Multi/Sub-Object ....................................................................................................510Tutorial: Creating a patchwork quilt .......................................................................510Morpher ..................................................................................................................512Shell ........................................................................................................................513Shellac.....................................................................................................................513Top/Bottom .............................................................................................................513Tutorial: Surfing the waves ......................................................................................513

Applying Multiple Materials ..............................................................................................514Using material IDs ...................................................................................................514Tutorial: Mapping die faces .....................................................................................515Using the Clean MultiMaterial utility .......................................................................515

Material Modifiers .............................................................................................................516Material modifier .....................................................................................................516MaterialByElement modifier ....................................................................................516Tutorial: Creating random marquee lights with the MaterialByElement modifier .....517Disp Approx and Displace Mesh modifiers ..............................................................517Tutorial: Displacing geometry with a bitmap ...........................................................518

Summary ..........................................................................................................................520

Chapter 19: Configuring and Aiming Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521Learning to Work with Cameras .......................................................................................521

Creating a camera object .........................................................................................522Creating a camera view ...........................................................................................522

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Tutorial: Setting up an opponent’s view ..................................................................523Controlling a camera ...............................................................................................524Aiming a camera .....................................................................................................526Tutorial: Watching a rocket .....................................................................................526Aligning cameras .....................................................................................................526Tutorial: Seeing the dinosaur’s good side .................................................................528

Setting Camera Parameters ................................................................................................529Lens settings and field of view .................................................................................529Camera type and display options.............................................................................530Environment ranges and clipping planes .................................................................530Camera Correction modifier ....................................................................................531Creating multi-pass camera effects ..........................................................................531Using the Depth of Field effect ................................................................................531Tutorial: Applying a Depth of Field effect to a row of windmills..............................533Using the Motion Blur effect ....................................................................................534Tutorial: Using a Motion Blur multi-pass camera effect ...........................................535

Summary ..........................................................................................................................536

Chapter 20: Using Lights and Basic Lighting Techniques  . . . . . . . . . . . . 537Understanding the Basics of Lighting ................................................................................537

Natural and artificial light .......................................................................................537A standard lighting method .....................................................................................538Shadows ..................................................................................................................539

Getting to Know the Light Types ......................................................................................540Default lighting .......................................................................................................540Ambient light ..........................................................................................................541Standard lights ........................................................................................................541Photometric lights ...................................................................................................542

Creating and Positioning Light Objects .............................................................................543Transforming lights .................................................................................................543Viewing lights and shadows in the viewport ............................................................543Listing lights............................................................................................................544Placing highlights ....................................................................................................545Tutorial: Lighting the snowman’s face .....................................................................545

Viewing a Scene from a Light ............................................................................................546Light viewport controls ...........................................................................................546Tutorial: Lighting a lamp .........................................................................................548

Altering Light Parameters ..................................................................................................548General parameters .................................................................................................549The Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout ..................................................................550Spotlight and directional light parameters ...............................................................550Advanced Effects .....................................................................................................551Shadow parameters .................................................................................................551Optimizing lights ....................................................................................................552Manipulating Hotspot and Falloff cones ..................................................................552Photometric light parameters ..................................................................................552

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Using the Sunlight and Daylight Systems ..........................................................................555Using the Compass helper .......................................................................................555Understanding Azimuth and Altitude ......................................................................556Specifying date and time .........................................................................................557Specifying location ..................................................................................................557Tutorial: Animating a day in 20 seconds .................................................................557

Using Volume Lights .........................................................................................................558Volume light parameters .........................................................................................559Tutorial: Showing car headlights .............................................................................560Tutorial: Creating laser beams .................................................................................561Using projector maps and raytraced shadows ..........................................................562Tutorial: Projecting a trumpet image on a scene ......................................................563Tutorial: Creating a stained-glass window ...............................................................563

Summary ..........................................................................................................................565

Part V: Animation and Rendering Basics 567

Chapter 21: Understanding Animation and Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569Using the Time Controls ...................................................................................................569

Setting frame rate ....................................................................................................570Setting speed and direction .....................................................................................570Using Time Tags .....................................................................................................571

Working with Keys ...........................................................................................................571Auto Key mode .......................................................................................................572Set Key mode ..........................................................................................................572Tutorial: Rotating a windmill’s blades ......................................................................573Copying parameter animation keys .........................................................................574Deleting all object animation keys ...........................................................................575

Using the Track Bar ..........................................................................................................575Viewing and Editing Key Values........................................................................................576Using the Motion Panel .....................................................................................................577

Setting parameters ...................................................................................................578Using trajectories.....................................................................................................578Tutorial: Making an airplane follow a looping path .................................................580Using the Follow/Bank utility ..................................................................................580

Using Ghosting .................................................................................................................581Animation Preferences ......................................................................................................582Animating Objects ............................................................................................................584

Animating cameras ..................................................................................................584Tutorial: Animating darts hitting a dartboard ..........................................................584Animating lights ......................................................................................................585Animating materials ................................................................................................586Creating Image File Lists .........................................................................................587

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Generating IFL files with the IFL Manager Utility ....................................................587Tutorial: What’s on TV? ..........................................................................................588

Working with Previews .....................................................................................................589Creating previews ....................................................................................................589Viewing previews ....................................................................................................591Renaming previews .................................................................................................591

Summary ..........................................................................................................................591

Chapter 22: Animating with Constraints and Simple Controllers . . . . . . 593Restricting Movement with Constraints .............................................................................593

Using constraints .....................................................................................................594Working with the constraints ..................................................................................594

Understanding Controller Types .......................................................................................604Assigning Controllers ........................................................................................................604

Automatically assigned controllers ..........................................................................604Assigning controllers with the Animation menu ......................................................605Assigning controllers in the Motion panel ...............................................................606Assigning controllers in the Track View ..................................................................606Setting default controllers ........................................................................................607

Examining Some Simple Controllers .................................................................................607Noise controller.......................................................................................................609Spring controller .....................................................................................................609

Summary ..........................................................................................................................612

Chapter 23: Rendering a Scene and Enabling Quicksilver  . . . . . . . . . . . 613Render Parameters ............................................................................................................613

Initiating a render job ..............................................................................................614Common parameters ...............................................................................................616E-mail notifications .................................................................................................619Adding pre-render and post-render scripts ..............................................................619Assigning renderers .................................................................................................620Scanline A-Buffer renderer ......................................................................................620Quicksilver Hardware Renderer ..............................................................................622

Rendering Preferences .......................................................................................................623Using the Rendered Frame Window .................................................................................625

Using the Render Types ..........................................................................................626Previewing with ActiveShade ...................................................................................627

Using the RAM Player .......................................................................................................627Using Command-Line Rendering ......................................................................................630Creating Panoramic Images ...............................................................................................630Getting Printer Help ..........................................................................................................631Creating an Environment ..................................................................................................632

Defining the rendered environment .........................................................................632Summary ..........................................................................................................................634

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Part VI: Advanced Modeling 635

Chapter 24: Building Complex Scenes with Containers and XRefs and Using Asset Tracking  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637

Working with Containers ..................................................................................................637Creating and filling containers .................................................................................638Closing and saving containers .................................................................................640Updating and reloading containers ..........................................................................640Setting container rules .............................................................................................640Using container proxies ...........................................................................................641Setting global container preferences ........................................................................642

Referencing External Objects ............................................................................................642Using XRef scenes ...................................................................................................643Using XRef objects ..................................................................................................646Using material XRefs ...............................................................................................648Merging modifiers ...................................................................................................649Using proxies ..........................................................................................................649Controller XRefs ......................................................................................................649Configuring XRef paths ...........................................................................................649

Setting Up Asset Tracking .................................................................................................650Checking in and checking out .................................................................................651Using the Asset Tracking interface ...........................................................................651Logging in ...............................................................................................................651Selecting a working folder .......................................................................................652Getting and adding Vault files .................................................................................652Loading older file versions.......................................................................................653Changing asset paths ...............................................................................................653Working with proxies .............................................................................................654

Summary ..........................................................................................................................654

Chapter 25: Working with the Schematic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655Using the Schematic View Window ..................................................................................655

The Graph Editors menu options ............................................................................655The Schematic View interface ..................................................................................656Working with Schematic View nodes ......................................................................659

Working with Hierarchies .................................................................................................664Using the Display floater .........................................................................................664Connecting nodes ...................................................................................................665Copying modifiers and materials between nodes .....................................................666Assigning controllers and wiring parameters ...........................................................666Tutorial: Linking a character with the Schematic View ............................................666

Setting Schematic View Preferences...................................................................................668Limiting nodes ........................................................................................................668Working with grids and backgrounds .....................................................................669

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Display preferences .................................................................................................670Tutorial: Adding a background image to the Schematic View ..................................670

Using List Views ...............................................................................................................672Summary ..........................................................................................................................673

Chapter 26: Deforming Surfaces and Using the Mesh Modifiers  . . . . . . 675The Basics of Deformation Painting ...................................................................................675

Painting deformations .............................................................................................675Accessing brush presets ...........................................................................................677

Using the Deformation Brushes .........................................................................................678Controlling the deformation direction .....................................................................678Limiting the deformation.........................................................................................678Committing any changes .........................................................................................678Using the Relax and Revert brushes .........................................................................678Tutorial: Adding veins to a forearm .........................................................................679

Setting Painter Options .....................................................................................................680Primitive Maintenance Modifiers .......................................................................................681

Edit Mesh modifier ..................................................................................................681Edit Poly modifier ...................................................................................................681

Edit Geometry Modifiers ...................................................................................................682Cap Holes modifier .................................................................................................682Delete Mesh modifier ..............................................................................................682Extrude modifier .....................................................................................................683Face Extrude modifier .............................................................................................683Tutorial: Extruding a bullet .....................................................................................684ProOptimizer modifier ............................................................................................684Tutorial: Creating a low-res hand ............................................................................686Quadify Mesh modifier ...........................................................................................687Smooth modifier .....................................................................................................688Symmetry modifier..................................................................................................688Tutorial: Creating symmetrical antlers .....................................................................688Tessellate modifier ..................................................................................................690Vertex Weld modifier ..............................................................................................690

Miscellaneous Modifiers ....................................................................................................690Edit Normals ...........................................................................................................690Normal modifier .....................................................................................................691STL Check modifier ................................................................................................691

Subdivision Surface Modifiers ...........................................................................................692MeshSmooth modifier .............................................................................................692TurboSmooth modifier ............................................................................................692Tutorial: Smoothing a birdbath ...............................................................................692HSDS modifier ........................................................................................................693

Summary ..........................................................................................................................694

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Chapter 27: Working with Compound Objects  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695Understanding Compound Object Types ..........................................................................695Morphing Objects .............................................................................................................696

Creating Morph keys ...............................................................................................696Morph objects versus the Morph modifier ...............................................................697Tutorial: Morphing a woman’s face .........................................................................697

Creating Conform Objects ................................................................................................698Setting a vertex projection direction ........................................................................699Tutorial: Placing a facial scar ...................................................................................700

Creating a ShapeMerge Object ..........................................................................................701Cookie Cutter and Merge options ............................................................................701Tutorial: Using the ShapeMerge compound object ..................................................702

Creating a Terrain Object ..................................................................................................703Coloring elevations..................................................................................................704Tutorial: Creating an island with the Terrain compound object ...............................704

Using the Mesher Object ...................................................................................................706Working with BlobMesh Objects ......................................................................................706

Setting BlobMesh parameters ..................................................................................707Tutorial: Creating icy geometry with BlobMesh .......................................................707

Creating a Scatter Object ...................................................................................................708Working with Source objects ..................................................................................709Working with Distribution objects ..........................................................................710Setting Transforms ..................................................................................................711Speeding updates with a proxy ................................................................................711Loading and saving presets ......................................................................................711Tutorial: Covering the island with trees ...................................................................711

Creating Connect Objects .................................................................................................712Filling object holes ..................................................................................................713Tutorial: Creating a park bench ...............................................................................713

Creating a Loft Object .......................................................................................................714Using the Get Shape and Get Path buttons ..............................................................715Controlling surface parameters ................................................................................715Changing path parameters.......................................................................................715Setting skin parameters ...........................................................................................716Tutorial: Designing a slip-proof hanger ...................................................................717Deforming Loft objects ............................................................................................718The Deformation window interface .........................................................................718Scale Deformation ...................................................................................................721Twist Deformation ..................................................................................................721Teeter Deformation .................................................................................................721Bevel Deformation ...................................................................................................721Fit Deformation .......................................................................................................722Modifying Loft subobjects .......................................................................................723Comparing shapes ...................................................................................................724Editing Loft paths ....................................................................................................724Tutorial: Creating drapes .........................................................................................725Loft objects versus surface tools ..............................................................................725

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Working with ProBoolean and ProCutter Objects .............................................................726Using ProBoolean ....................................................................................................726Tutorial: Creating a keyhole ....................................................................................729Using ProCutter ......................................................................................................730Tutorial: Creating a jigsaw puzzle ............................................................................730

Summary ..........................................................................................................................731

Chapter 28: Working with Solids and Body Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733Importing CAD Objects ....................................................................................................733Converting Max Objects to Body Objects ..........................................................................734Working with Body Objects ..............................................................................................735

Editing Body Objects ...............................................................................................735Applying modifiers to Body Objects ........................................................................736Using Boolean operations with Body Objects ..........................................................736Using the Join Bodies and Body Cutter features .......................................................736Setting display and rendering properties .................................................................738

Exporting Body Objects ....................................................................................................738Summary ..........................................................................................................................739

Chapter 29: Adding and Styling Hair and Fur, and Using Cloth  . . . . . . . 741Understanding Hair ..........................................................................................................741Working with Hair ............................................................................................................742

Growing hair ...........................................................................................................742Setting hair properties .............................................................................................743Tutorial: Adding a spline fringe to a quilt ................................................................745

Styling Hair .......................................................................................................................747Using the Style interface ..........................................................................................747Tutorial: Creating a set of fuzzy dice .......................................................................749Using hair presets ....................................................................................................750Using hair instances ................................................................................................750

Rendering Hair .................................................................................................................752Understanding Cloth ........................................................................................................752Creating Cloth ..................................................................................................................753

Using Garment Maker to define cloth ......................................................................753Creating cloth from geometry objects ......................................................................755Tutorial: Clothing a 3D model.................................................................................756

Summary ..........................................................................................................................758

Part VII: Advanced Materials 759

Chapter 30: Using Specialized Material Types  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 761Using the Matte/Shadow Material ......................................................................................761

Matte/Shadow Basic Parameters rollout ...................................................................761Tutorial: Adding 3D objects to a scene ....................................................................762

Using the Ink ’n’ Paint Material .........................................................................................763Controlling paint and ink ........................................................................................763Tutorial: Cartooning a turtle ....................................................................................764

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Using Architectural Materials ............................................................................................765Using the DirectX and MetaSL Shader Material .................................................................766Using mental ray Materials and Shaders ............................................................................767

Understanding shaders ............................................................................................768Accessing mental ray materials and shaders .............................................................769Using the Autodesk Material Library and the Arch & Design materials ...................769Using the ProMaterials ............................................................................................770Using the Car Paint material ....................................................................................771Combining bump and displacement maps ..............................................................771Using the Subsurface Scattering materials ................................................................771

Summary ..........................................................................................................................772

Chapter 31: Painting in the Viewport Canvas and Rendering Surface Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773

Using the Viewport Canvas ...............................................................................................773Setting up an object for painting .............................................................................774Using the Canvas brushes........................................................................................775Painting with images ...............................................................................................777Using paint layers ....................................................................................................778Painting in 2D .........................................................................................................780Using the paint options ...........................................................................................780Tutorial: Face painting ............................................................................................782

Using Vertex Colors ..........................................................................................................783Assigning vertex colors ............................................................................................783Painting vertices with the Vertex Paint modifier ......................................................783Tutorial: Marking heart tension ...............................................................................785The Assign Vertex Color utility................................................................................786

Rendering Surface Maps ....................................................................................................786Summary ..........................................................................................................................788

Chapter 32: Unwrapping UVs and Mapping Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 789Mapping Modifiers ............................................................................................................789

UVW Map modifier .................................................................................................790Tutorial: Using the UVW Map modifier to apply decals ..........................................790UVW Mapping Add and Clear modifiers .................................................................792UVW XForm modifier .............................................................................................793Map Scaler modifier ................................................................................................793Camera Map modifier..............................................................................................793

Using the Unwrap UVW Modifier .....................................................................................793The Edit UVWs interface .........................................................................................793Tutorial: Controlling the mapping of a covered wagon ............................................799Rendering UV templates ..........................................................................................802Relaxing vertices......................................................................................................803Using the Quick Planar Map ...................................................................................803Mapping multiple objects ........................................................................................804Tutorial: Creating a mapping for a fighter plane ......................................................804

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Using the Spline mapping .......................................................................................806Tutorial: Spline mapping a snake ............................................................................807

Using Pelt Mapping ...........................................................................................................808Selecting seams .......................................................................................................809Positioning the projection gizmo .............................................................................809Stretching the pelt mapping ....................................................................................811Tutorial: Using pelt mapping...................................................................................812

Summary ..........................................................................................................................814

Chapter 33: Creating Baked Textures and Normal Maps  . . . . . . . . . . . . 815Using Channels .................................................................................................................815

Using the Map Channel Info dialog box ..................................................................816Select by Channel modifier......................................................................................817

Rendering to a Texture ......................................................................................................817General Settings ......................................................................................................818Selecting objects to bake .........................................................................................818Output settings .......................................................................................................819Baked Material and Automatic Mapping settings .....................................................820Tutorial: Baking the textures for a dog model ..........................................................821

Creating Normal Maps ......................................................................................................822Using the Projection modifier ..................................................................................823Setting Projection Mapping options .........................................................................823Tutorial: Creating a normal map for an optimized gator ..........................................824

Summary ..........................................................................................................................826

Part VIII: Advanced Animation Techniques 827

Chapter 34: Using Animation Layers, Modifiers, and Complex Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829

Using the Animation Layers Toolbar .................................................................................829Working with Animation Layers .......................................................................................831

Enabling animation layers .......................................................................................831Setting animation layers properties ..........................................................................832Collapsing animation layers.....................................................................................832Tutorial: Using animation layers for a plane takeoff .................................................832

Saving Animation Files ......................................................................................................833Saving general animations .......................................................................................834

Loading Animation Sequences ..........................................................................................834Mapping animated objects.......................................................................................835Using the Map Animation dialog box ......................................................................836Retargeting animations ............................................................................................836

Baking Animation Keys with the Point Cache Modifier .....................................................837Tutorial: Trees in a hurricane ..................................................................................838

Using the Animation Modifiers .........................................................................................839Morpher modifier ....................................................................................................839Tutorial: Morphing facial expressions ......................................................................840

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Using the Flex modifier ...........................................................................................841Melt modifier ..........................................................................................................845PatchDeform and SurfDeform modifiers ..................................................................845Tutorial: Deforming a car going over a hill ..............................................................846PathDeform modifier ...............................................................................................846Linked XForm modifier ...........................................................................................846SplineIK Control modifier .......................................................................................848Attribute Holder modifier ........................................................................................848

Examining Complex Controllers .......................................................................................848Transform controllers ..............................................................................................848Position track controllers .........................................................................................849Rotation and Scale track controllers ........................................................................855Parameter controllers ..............................................................................................855

Summary ..........................................................................................................................862

Chapter 35: Animating with the Expression Controller and Wiring Parameters  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863

Working with Expressions in Spinners .............................................................................863Understanding the Expression Controller Interface ...........................................................864

Defining variables ....................................................................................................865Building expressions ...............................................................................................866Debugging and evaluating expressions ....................................................................867Managing expressions .............................................................................................868Tutorial: Creating following eyes .............................................................................868

Using Expression Controllers ............................................................................................870Animating transforms with the Expression controller ..............................................870Animating parameters with the Float Expression controller .....................................870Tutorial: Inflating a balloon .....................................................................................870Animating materials with the Expression controller ................................................872

Wiring Parameters ............................................................................................................872Using the Parameter Wiring dialog box ...................................................................872Manipulator helpers ................................................................................................873Tutorial: Controlling a crocodile’s bite ....................................................................874

Collecting Parameters .......................................................................................................875Adding Custom Parameters ...............................................................................................878Summary ..........................................................................................................................880

Chapter 36: Working with Function Curves in the Track View . . . . . . . . 881Learning the Track View Interface .....................................................................................881

The Track View layouts ...........................................................................................882Track View menus and toolbars ..............................................................................883Controller and Key panes ........................................................................................889Lower interface toolbars ..........................................................................................890

Working with Keys ...........................................................................................................891Selecting keys ..........................................................................................................892Using soft selection .................................................................................................893Adding and deleting keys ........................................................................................893

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