AUTODESK 3DS MAX 8 ® ® Reference Guide Volume II Autodesk Part No.: Date: 12811-050000-5000A 09.09.05 Colors: Black K Description: 3dsMax8_TutGd_BW_Mcvr.ai Dimensions: 7" x 9" or 177.8mm x 228.
Copyright © 2005 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. AUTODESK, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS, AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK, INC.
toc Contents 10 Precision and Drawing Aids ........................ 1 Precision and Drawing Aids........................................ 1 Tools for Precision ....................................................... 1 Helpers ........................................................................ 2 Using Units .................................................................. 3 Using Grids.................................................................. 4 Using the Home Grid ..............................
iv Contents Path Follow Space Warp ............................................ 67 Gravity Space Warp................................................... 69 Wind Space Warp...................................................... 71 Displace Space Warp ................................................. 72 Deflectors ................................................................ 74 POmniFlect Space Warp ........................................... 74 PDynaFlect Space Warp......................................
Contents Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems ....................... 233 Using Particle Systems ......................................... 234 Creating a Non-Event-Driven Particle System ....... 234 Creating a Particle Emitter ...................................... 235 Using Materials with Particle Array ........................ 235 Achieving Particle Motion Blur .............................. 236 Using Mapped Materials with Particle Systems ...... 236 Using Multi/Sub-Object Materials with Particle Systems .
vi Contents Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog ..... 371 Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller).......... 372 Master Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) ............................................................ 372 Master Track Key Info Dialog (Master Point Controller) ............................................................ 373 Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) ........... 374 Track View Pick Dialog (Block Controller) ............ 374 Animation Constraints ...........
Contents Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring Joint Parameters (HD Solver) ....................................... 477 Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver)................................................................... 478 Curves Menu ........................................................... 510 Time Menu .............................................................. 510 Utilities Menu .......................................................... 511 Track View Quad Menu ......................
viii Contents Exclude Left End Point ........................................... 547 Exclude Right End Point ......................................... 548 Reduce Keys ............................................................ 548 Motion Mixer ........................................................ 580 Edit Ranges ........................................................... 550 Working with the Motion Mixer............................. 581 Adding Tracks to the Mixer....................................
Contents Camera Tracker: Match Move Rollout.................... 658 Camera Tracker: Move Smoothing Rollout ............ 659 Camera Tracker: Object Pinning Rollout ............... 661 Camera Tracker: Troubleshooting .......................... 662 Dynamics............................................................... 663 Dynamics Utility ..................................................... 663 Edit Object Dialog................................................... 673 Edit Object List Dialog ...............
x Contents Motion Mapping: Retargeting Biped Motion......... 776 Merging and Cloning a Character .......................... 777 Combining BIP Motions ......................................... 779 Loading and Saving STP Files ................................. 779 Using Motion-Capture Data ................................... 780 Correcting Posture .................................................. 780 Copying and Pasting Tracks.................................... 781 Repositioning the Biped.................
Contents Using Physique with 3ds Max Bones ...................... 931 Using Physique with 3ds Max Objects .................... 933 Applying and Initializing Physique......................... 934 Previewing Motion.................................................. 935 Envelopes and Vertex Assignments .................... 936 Envelopes................................................................. 936 Adjusting Default Envelope Shape.......................... 938 Fine-Tuning Envelopes......................
xii Contents State Dialog.............................................................1059 State Transition Dialog ...........................................1060 Behavior Rollout ................................................. 1062 Behavior Rollout.....................................................1062 Behaviors ............................................................ 1063 Avoid Behavior .......................................................1063 Orientation Behavior ...........................
Contents General Lighting Parameters .................................1175 Exclude/Include Dialog..........................................1179 Shadow Parameters ................................................1181 Spotlight Parameters ..............................................1183 Advanced Effects Rollout .......................................1185 mental ray Indirect Illumination Rollout (for Lights)..................................................................
xiv Contents Make Material Copy ..............................................1286 Make Unique (Material Editor) .............................1286 Put to Library .........................................................1287 Material Effects Channel .......................................1287 Material Effects Channel Flyout.............................1288 Show Map in Viewport ..........................................1289 Show End Result ....................................................
Contents Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser ............................................1375 Architectural Material ........................................ 1376 Architectural Material ............................................1376 Templates Rollout ...................................................1377 Physical Qualities Rollout ......................................1377 Special Effects Rollout ............................................
xvi Contents Raytrace Map Rollouts ....................................... 1514 Raytracer Parameters Rollout ................................1514 Raytrace: Attenuation Rollout ...............................1516 Raytrace: Basic Material Extensions Rollout .........1517 Raytrace: Refractive Material Extensions Rollout .................................................................1518 mental ray Shaders............................................. 1520 mental ray Shaders ...............................
Precision and Drawing Aids Precision and Drawing Aids 3ds Max provides tools that give you control over the positioning and alignment of objects in 3D space. With these tools, you can do the following: Using the Home Grid (page 2–4) Using Grid Objects (page 2–5) Aligning Objects (page 2–8) Aligning Normals (page 2–10) • Choose display units from the most common real-world measuring systems or define your own.
2 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Grids—Include the home grid and special grid objects. Both types of grid can act as construction planes. The software constructs objects using the orientation and position of the active grid. While the home grid is fixed in world space, you can rotate grid objects and place them anywhere in a scene, and align them to other objects and surfaces. You can also give each grid object its own spacing, and display any grid as a dedicated viewport.
Using Units Using Units Units are the key to connecting the three-dimensional world of 3ds Max with the physical world. You define the units you want to use from the Units Setup dialog (page 3–891). Changing Display Units When you change display units, 3ds Max displays measurements in the new unit for your convenience. All dimensions are displayed in the new unit. Essentially, you’re using a new "measuring stick." No object is changed in this process.
4 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Using Grids • You can use any view of the home grid as a construction plane by drawing in the viewport in which the grid’s view appears. See Viewing and Navigating 3D Space (page 1–21) for a complete introduction to the home grid. Grid objects—A grid object is a helper object you can create whenever you need a local reference grid or construction plane somewhere other than the home grid.
Using Grid Objects For example, if you use a grid spacing of one centimeter, you might use a value of 10 so the major grid divisions represent one decimeter. Setting Color and Intensity To improve grid visibility, you can change the intensity or color of the home grid. Choose Customize menu > Customize User Interface > Colors panel (page 3–843).
6 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids To activate a grid object: Setting the Display Plane 1. Create a grid object. 2. Choose Views > Grids > Activate Grid Object. You can adjust the visible plane of a selected or activated grid object on the Modify panel. To deactivate a grid object, do one of the following: To set the display plane: • Select and activate another grid object. 1. Open the Modify panel to display the • Choose Views > Grids > Activate Home Grid. • Delete the grid object.
AutoGrid • Choose Views > Grids > Activate Home Grid. • Delete the grid object. When you deactivate a grid object, any viewports based on that grid switch to the corresponding orthographic view. For example, a Grid (Front) viewport becomes a Front viewport. A Grid (Display Planes) viewport always switches to Top view, regardless of the currently displayed plane.
8 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids 4. Move your cursor over the object to which you want to orient the box you are about to create. The cursor includes an X,Y,Z tripod to help you orient the position of the new object. As you move over the object, the cursor aligns the Z axis to the surface normal. 5. When the orientation is as you want it, click Tip: When you create an object that requires multiple clicks, AutoGrid applies only to the first click.
Aligning Objects Source and Target Objects Alignment involves two entities: one is the source object or selection set, where the process begins; the other is the target object, where the selection process ends. Source object—Object or objects you want to move into alignment with another object. You select one or more source objects to begin the alignment process. Target object—Object used to define the alignment. You select the target object during the alignment process. It cannot be selected beforehand.
10 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Sub-Object Alignment Other Align Options You can use Align with any selection that can be transformed. The tripod axis becomes the source for alignment. You do this by accessing the sub-object level of the object before clicking Align. The Align flyout on the main toolbar has other buttons that provide specialized alignments. For further discussion of the Align options, see Align Dialog (page 1–447).
Setting Standard Snaps can move this dialog to any convenient location on your screen and turn options on and off as you work. Panels are reset to defaults for each new session. You can also make commonly used snap settings on the Snaps toolbar (page 2–39). Snap settings are stored in the 3dsmax.ini file rather than in the MAX file. This means that the state of the snap settings persists from session to session without your having to modify the maxstart.max file.
12 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids constraints (default=off) and snapping to frozen objects (default=off). Snap to Frozen Objects—Normally, if an object Setting Snap Options Settings for Angle and Percent Snap You can access a number of snap features from the Options tab of the Grid and Snap Settings dialog. Right-click any of the snap buttons on the main toolbar to display the Grid And Snap Settings dialog or choose Customize menu > Grid And Snap Settings, then click the Options tab.
Measuring Distances Translation Options Helper Objects for Measurement By default, the Use Axis Constraints (page 1–418) option is off. The current setting on the Axis Constraints toolbar (XY, for example) has no effect. Turning on this option lets you use snaps in conjunction with axis constraints. Tape Helper The Translation group also lets you toggle display of a rubber band line between the start and end points during a snap operation.
14 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids 3. Right-click the Snap Toggle button to display the Grid and Snap Settings dialog. On the Snaps tab, set the snap type to the type you will use for measurement. For example, if you are going to use point objects for measurement, check the Pivot option so you can snap to the point objects’ pivot points. Close the dialog. 4. On the Create panel, click the Helpers button, then click Tape.
Measure Distance Tool Measure Distance Tool Tools menu > Measure Distance The Measure Distance tool lets you quickly calculate the distance between two points, using just two clicks. The calculated distance is displayed in display units (page 3–891) in the status bar.
16 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids dummy is often used this way to animate linked motion. Another common usage of a dummy object is in the animation of target cameras. You can create a dummy and position a target camera within the dummy object. Then you can link both the camera and its target to the dummy, and animate the dummy with a path constraint. The target camera will follow the dummy along the path. Dummy objects are always created as cubes.
Expose Transform Helper Interface Parent—When on, the Local Reference Node is set Parameters rollout automatically to the parent of the Expose Node. When off, you can pick an object to refer to for local data. Default=on. This is used by the Local Euler Angles, Distance To Reference, and Angle parameters. If the object has no parent and you don’t specify a Local Reference Node object, these fields use the world center (0,0,0) as the reference node.
18 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Display rollout Exposed Values rollout Lets you specify how the helper object appears in the viewports. By default, the display type is set to Cross only, and Size is set to 20.0. You can activate multiple display settings if you like. Center Marker—Displays a small X marker at the center of the helper object. Axis Tripod—Displays a tripod axis indicating the position and orientation of the helper object. Cross—Displays an axis-aligned cross.
Grid Helper button to copy the MAXScript associated with the value to the clipboard, which you can then paste into a script. Display Exposed Values—When on, transform values for the Expose Node object appear on this rollout, and update as the values change. When off, values don’t appear, but the M buttons still function normally. Local Euler Angles—Rotation values with respect to the parent or Local Reference Node object. World Euler Angles—Rotation values in the world coordinate system.
20 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids These are available by a cascading Grid menu that provides Left, Right, Front, Back, Top, Bottom, and Display Planes. Each of the orthographic directions is local to the grid object, regardless of its orientation in the scene.
Grid Helper Only one grid can be active for construction at a time, whether it’s the home grid or a grid object. Activating a user grid "deactivates" the home grid. Activating a grid object enables options to reactivate the home grid on the Views menu > Grids submenu and the Quad menu. If you have more than one grid object in your scene, you have to activate each one separately. Select the grid object you want to make active and follow the same procedure.
22 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Interface Active Color group Determines the color used to draw the grid in viewports when it’s not selected. Gray—The active grid object is two shades of gray. Object Color—The main grid lines use the assigned object color, while the secondary lines use a lighter intensity. Home Color—The grid object uses the home grid colorassigned in the Customize User Interface dialog (page 3–836).
Tape Helper 4. Move the cursor to where you want the point object and release the mouse button. The point object appears using the display setting you chose. You can move and rotate the point as needed using standard transformation methods. Interface Center Marker—Displays a small X marker at the center of the point object. Axis Tripod—Displays a tripod axis indicating the position and orientation of the point object. The axis remains visible when the point object is no longer selected.
24 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Selection You can select a tape-measure object from either end, or from the middle. When you click the connecting line, both ends of the tape object become selected so you can move them as one. Note that the same is true of target cameras and lights. Note: Line selection is available only when clicking with the mouse. Region selection doesn’t work for this.
Protractor Helper World Space Angles group To X/Y/Z Axis—Displays the angle of the tape object relative to each axis in world space. To XY/YZ/ZX Plane—Displays the angle of the tape object relative to each of these home planes. Protractor Helper Create panel > Helpers > Standard > Object Type rollout > Protractor Create menu > Helpers > Protractor Protractor measures the angle between a point and any two objects in your scene.
26 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Compass Helper Create panel > Helpers > Standard > Object Type rollout > Compass Create menu > Helpers > Compass Compass displays as a non-rendering compass rose, with indicators for North, South, East, and West. A compass is part of a Daylight or Sunlight system (page 1–394); you create a compass automatically when you create sunlight.
Cone Angle Manipulator is active, and Select And Manipulate is turned on, you can manipulate objects. However, you must turn off Select And Manipulate before you can select a manipulator helper.
28 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids 3. Drag the base of the cone angle manipulator’s 5. In the pop-up menu, choose Object, then the cone. name of the parameter you want to manipulate. The Angle value changes as you drag the manipulator. This value can range between 0.0 and 360.0. The Parameter Wiring dialog (page 2–395) appears. To select a cone angle manipulator: Turn on Select Object. 1.
Plane Angle Manipulator Plane Angle Manipulator Create panel > Helpers > Manipulators > Object Type rollout > Plane Angle button Procedures To create a plane angle manipulator: 1. Create menu > Helpers > Manipulators > Plane Angle The Plane Angle manipulator looks like a lever or joystick. By wiring its Angle value to a parameter of another object, you can create a custom control, with visual feedback, within a scene. In the Create panel, go to Helpers and choose Manipulators from the drop-down list.
30 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Interface Turn off Select And Manipulate. 2. If you don’t turn off Select And Manipulate, you adjust the manipulator’s Angle value without affecting its properties. 3. Adjust the properties of the selected manipulator. To connect a plane angle manipulator so it controls another object: Select the plane angle manipulator. 1. Select And Manipulate must be off before you can select the manipulator. Note: 2.
Slider Manipulator Using a Slider Manipulator Procedures To create a slider manipulator: 1. In the Create panel, go to Helpers and choose Manipulators from the drop-down list. 2. Click to turn on Slider. 3. Click a viewport. The slider manipulator is created with its default width of 100 units. It will appear at the same viewport location in whichever viewport is active. Slider manipulator components: 1. Label 2. Value 3. Move To change the value of a slider manipulator: 4. Show/hide 5.
32 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids The square turns red when the mouse is over it and it is able to be dragged. Interface 3. Drag the box to move the slider. Unlike angle manipulators, transforms have no effect on sliders. To connect a slider manipulator so it controls another object: Select the slider. 1. Select And Manipulate must be off before you can select the slider. Note: 2. Choose Animation > Wire Parameters > Wire Parameters.
Grids Submenu Snap Value—The increment used by the slider when Snap is on. Default=0.01. Hide—When on, hides all of the slider except for the label and the move and show/hide components. Default=off.
34 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Activate Home Grid Activate a grid other than the Home grid. > Views menu > Grids > Activate Home Grid The grid object changes to show its internal grid structure. Except for its main axes, the home grid disappears in all viewports. This command activates the home grid (page 3–1046) as the construction grid, and deactivates the active grid object (page 3–1045). Align Grid to View Procedure This command aligns a grid object (page 3–1045) with the current view.
2D Snap, 2.5D Snap, 3D Snap Angle Snap Toggle (page 2–36) Percent Snap Toggle (page 2–37) any of its corner vertices. See To use snaps to move an absolute distance: (page 2–36) below. When Auto Key is on and either Select And Rotate or Select And Scale is active, the Snaps Toggle button is disabled, and rotation and scaling take place about the pivot point of the object. Spinner Snap Toggle (page 2–37) Relative and Absolute Snaps 2D Snap, 2.5D Snap, 3D Snap Main toolbar > 2D Snap, 2.
36 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids 2. Lock your selection set with the SPACEBAR, or by clicking Lock Selection on the status bar. 3. Wherever you click in the viewport, the snap will stay relative to the distance of your cursor to the object. To use snaps to move an absolute distance: 1. Turn on Snaps Toggle. 2. Click the selection. Snap uses the point you click for the snap source. 3. Move to whatever target snap you desire. The object will snap to an absolute distance.
Percent Snap Toggle Procedures Interface To turn angle snap on: The snap percent increment is set in the Grid And Snap Settings dialog. The default is 10 percent. Right-click the Percent Snap Toggle button to display the Grid and Snap Settings dialog (page 2–38). • Click Angle Snap Toggle on the Main toolbar. When turned on, angle snap affects all rotational transforms. To rotate an object an even number of degrees: • Turn on Angle Snap Toggle and rotate the object.
38 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Interface Procedure The amounts for Spinner Snap are controlled by settings on the General panel (page 3–859) of the Preferences dialog. Default=1.0. To change grid and snap settings: 1. Choose Customize menu > Grid And Snap Settings and click the appropriate tab. 2. Choose the type of snap you want (Standard or NURBS). 3. Select the snap settings.
Snap Settings Snaps work at sub-object levels. For example, you can use snaps to position a gizmo to the object on which you’re working, or snap it to other objects in the scene. You must activate a viewport in order to use snaps. Also, the Z-axis constraints don’t apply to the home grid or grid objects, since grids don’t have a Z axis. Settings are stored in the 3dsmax.ini file. The state of the snap settings persists from session to session. (Prior to version 3, snap settings were stored in the maxstart.
40 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids To use both constraint and snaps, do one of the following: • In the Grid and Snap Settings dialog > Options tab > Translation group, turn on Use Axis Constraints. • Hold SHIFT and right-click in the viewport, and then choose Options > Transform Constraints from the Snap quadrant. Interface Use these check boxes on the Snaps tab to turn on any combination of snap settings.
Snap Settings NURBS Snaps Grid Points—Snaps to grid intersections. This snap type is on by default. Keyboard shortcut=ALT+F5. Grid Lines—Snaps to any point on a grid line. Pivot—Snaps to pivot points of objects. Keyboard shortcut=ALT+F6. Bounding Box—Snaps to one of the eight corners of an object’s bounding box. Perpendicular—Snaps to the perpendicular point on a spline, relative to the previous point. Tangent—Snaps to a tangent point on a spline, relative to the previous point.
42 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Curve Edge—Snaps to the edge of a NURBS curve Procedures (the current object moves or is created to lie along the curve). To use Snap Override (keyboard shortcut method): Curve End—Snaps to the end of a NURBS curve. Surf Center—Snaps to the center of a NURBS surface. The center of a NURBS curve is calculated parametrically, and might not be the same as the curve’s apparent visual center.
Snap Options and the previously active snap types are active again. To use Snap Override during a drag operation: 1. Left-click, press SHIFT, and then right-click to display the menu. 2. Release the left mouse button, and then left-click to select the snap you want. 3. Release the SHIFT key, right-click, and continue the drag operation (the geometry remains locked to the mouse).
44 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids 11. Continue moving the cursor toward the grid 3. On the main toolbar, click the Snaps Toggle button to turn on snaps, and then right-click the button to open the Grid And Snap Settings dialog to the Snaps panel. The default Snaps setting is Grid Points only; if this is not the case, make it so. A grid point is the intersection of two grid lines. 4. On the dialog, click the Options tab.
Snap Options Marker group Provides settings that affect the visual display of the snap points. Display—Toggles the display of the snap guides. When off, the snaps still function, but there’s no display. Size—Sets the size, in pixels, of the snap "hit" point. This is the small icon that indicates either the source or target snap point. Color—Click the color swatch to display the Color Selector, where you can set the color of the snap display.
46 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Translation group Procedures To set grid spacing for unit measure: Use Axis Constraints—Constrains the selected object to move only along the axes specified on the Axis Constraints toolbar (page 3–735). When turned off (the default), the constraints are ignored, and snapped objects can be translated in any dimension (assuming 3D snapping is used).
Home Grid Settings 3. Turn off Inhibit Grid Subdivision Below Grid Spacing. When you turn off this box, you can zoom indefinitely "deep" into any plane of the home grid. Each grid square subdivides into the same number of smaller grid spaces. Interface Note: The layout of the Grid And Snap Settings dialog is generated at runtime. Because of this, it might appear slightly different than the illustration shown here.
48 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids viewports update after you have completed changing the values. Choose All Viewports to have all viewports update as you change the values. User Grids Settings been simplified. Turn on AutoGrid in the Object Type rollout of a command panel. When you turn on AutoGrid, the software uses the setting in the User Grids dialog for world or object space. World space—Aligns grids to world space. Object space—Aligns grids to object space.
Rescale World Units Utility types. If several objects are in a selection, the sum of their measurements is displayed. Interface one or more holes, an asterisk appears beside the Volume number. Center Of Mass—Displays the world coordinates of the location of the center of mass for the object or the center of mass of the selected objects. Create Center Point—Creates a point helper object at the center of mass. Shapes group Displays information about shape objects.
50 Chapter 10: Precision and Drawing Aids Interface Rescale—After selecting the objects you want to rescale, click this to start the Rescale utility, implemented using the Rescale World Units dialog (page 2–50). Interface Scale Factor—Specifies the scaling factor. OK—Applies the scale. Cancel—Cancels the operation.
Space Warps and Particle Systems Space Warps and Particle Systems Space warps and particle systems are additional modeling tools. Space warps are “force fields” that deform other objects, creating the effect of ripples, waves, blowing wind, and so on. Particle systems generate particle sub-objects for the purpose of simulating snow, rain, dust, and so on. (You use particle systems primarily in animations.
52 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems space warp is always applied after any transforms or modifiers. flyout), and then drag between the space warp and the object. When you bind multiple objects to a space warp, the space warp’s parameters affect all the objects equally. However, each object’s distance from the space warp or spatial orientation to the warp can change the warp’s effect. Because of this spatial effect, simply moving an object through warped space can change the warp’s effect.
Space Warp Objects If particles are moving fast and the deflector is in a particular position (for example, it might be too close to the emitter) many particles can leak through defectors. Sometimes you can fix this leakage by changing the particle system’s Subframe Sampling setting or the particle speed. Other times you must reposition the deflector farther away from the emitter.
54 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Displace Space Warp (page 2–72) Conform Space Warp (page 2–99) Bomb Space Warp (page 2–101) Modifier-Based These are space-warp versions of object modifiers (see Modify Panel (page 3–801)). Read more about these in Modifier-Based Space Warps (page 2–103). Bend Modifier (page 1–541) Noise Modifier (page 1–735) Skew Modifier (page 1–780) Taper Modifier (page 1–853) Twist Modifier (page 1–865) Stretch Modifier (page 1–826) Procedure To create a space warp: 1.
Push Space Warp Forces Push Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Forces > Object Type rollout > Push Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > Push Push viewport icon Procedure To create a Push space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, and then on the Object Type rollout, click Push. 2. Drag in a viewport to define the size. The Push warp appears as a hydraulic jack icon.
56 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface Strength Control group Basic Force—The amount of force exerted by the space warp. Newtons/Pounds—This option specifies the units of force used by the Basic Force spinner. A pound is about 4.5 Newtons, and one newton is one kilogram-per-second-squared. When Push is applied to particle systems, these values have only subjective meaning because they depend on the built-in weighting factors and time scaling used by the particle system.
Motor Space Warp Enable—Turns on the variations. Period 1—The time over which the noise variation makes a full cycle. For example, a setting of 20 means one cycle per 20 frames. Amplitude 1—The strength of the variation (in Motor Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Forces > Object Type rollout > Motor Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > Motor percent). This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Force spinner. Phase 1—Offsets the variation pattern.
58 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Procedure To create a motor space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps > Forces > Motor. Choose Forces from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Motor. 2. Click and drag in a viewport to define the size. The Motor warp appears as a box-shaped icon with an arrow indicating the direction of the torque. Interface measurements of torque.
Vortex Space Warp Periodic Variation group Particle Effect Range group Lets you restrict the Motor effect’s range to a specific spherical volume. This affects particles systems only; it has no effect on dynamics. Enable—When on, limits the range of the effect to a sphere, displayed as a tri-hooped sphere. The effect falls off increasingly as the particles near the boundary of the sphere. Range—Specifies the radius of the range of the effect, in units.
60 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems If you want the particles to spiral around the particle emitter, place both at the same location. Interface Particle stream caught in a vortex Procedure To create a Vortex space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, and then click Vortex. 2. Determine which world axis you want the vortex to spiral around, and then drag in the appropriate viewport to create the space warp.
Vortex Space Warp Timing group Time On/Time Off—The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes active and becomes inactive. For subtle effects, use values of less than 10%. For more overt effects, try using higher values that increase to 100% over the course of a few frames. Orbital Speed—Specifies how quickly the particles rotate. Vortex Shape group Taper Length—Controls the length of the vortex, as well as its shape.
62 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Display group Icon Size—Specifies the size of the icon. The space warp appears initially as a box within a box, indicating that it’s using the default Linear Damping mode. 3.
Drag Space Warp Interface Timing group Time On/Time Off—The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes active and becomes inactive. Damping Characteristics group This group lets you choose Linear Damping, Spherical Damping, or Cylindrical Damping, plus a set of parameters for each. Unlimited Range—When on, Drag exerts full damping strength over an unlimited range. When off, the Range and Falloff settings for the current damping type take effect.
64 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems for each vector within a spherical volume whose radius is set by the Range setting, when Unlimited Range is off. also specifies the thickness of the infinite plane that governs the range of Axial damping. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off. Radial/Tangential—Radial specifies the percentage Falloff—Specifies the distance beyond the Radial/Tangential/Axial Range within which Linear Damping is applied.
PBomb Space Warp Flow, use a Force operator (page 2–200) to apply the space warp to the particle system. • Adjust the parameters of both the PBomb and the particle system. 2. Create a PArray and use Pick Object to assign the object to blow up as the PArray object-based emitter. 3. In the Basic Parameters rollout > Viewport Display group, choose Mesh to display the fragments as mesh objects in the viewports. 4. On the Particle Generation rollout of PArray, set Speed and Divergence to 0.0.
66 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems decrease Range enough, the bomb no longer affects all or part of the object (depending on the placement of the PBomb icon). Test the three Blast Symmetry settings by placing the bomb in the center of the object and then seeing the different blast patterns. Once you get an explosive effect you like, you can return to the PArray settings, add spin or thickness to the fragments, and so on.
Path Follow Space Warp a portion of the particle system, only that part of the system is affected. If you turn on Range Indicator (see following), the extent of the range is indicated by a tri-hooped sphere. If you choose Unlimited Range, this parameter has no effect. 2. Click and drag in a viewport to define the size. The Path Follow warp appears as a box-shaped icon containing curved lines that indicate hypothetical paths. To set up and use Path Follow: 1. Create a shape consisting of a single spline.
68 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface Current Path group Lets you choose the path for the particles, and specify the range of influence of the Space Warp. Object—Displays the name of the currently assigned path. Pick Shape Object—Click this, and then click a shape in the scene to select it as a path. You can use any shape object as a path; if you select a multiple-spline shape, only one the lowest-number spline is used. You can also use NURBS curves as paths.
Gravity Space Warp Along Offset Splines—The distance between the particle system and the path alter the effect of the particle motion. If the first vertex of the spline is at the birthplace of the particle, the particle follows the spline path. If you move the path away from the particle system, the particles are affected by the offset. Along Parallel Splines—Particles follow a copy of the selected path, parallel to the particle system.
70 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Force group Gravity effect on snow Procedure To create gravity: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Gravity. 2. Drag in a viewport. Strength—Increasing Strength increases the effect of gravity; that is, how objects move in relation to the Gravity icon’s direction arrow. Strength less than 0.
Wind Space Warp Wind Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Forces > Object Type rollout > Wind Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > Wind Procedure To create wind: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Wind. 2. Drag in a viewport. The wind icon appears. For planar wind (the default), the icon is a wireframe square with a direction arrow coming out of one side. For spherical wind, the icon is a wireframe sphere.
72 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems repels particles moving in the same direction and attracts particles moving in the opposite direction. When Strength is 0.0, the Wind warp has no effect. Decay—When Decay is set to 0.0, the Wind warp has the same strength throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes wind strength to diminish as distance increases from the position of the Wind warp object. Default=0.0.
Displace Space Warp particle systems, a large number of geometric objects at once, or an object relative to its position in world space. Interface For geometry, the detail of the displacement depends on the number of vertices. Use the Tessellate modifier to tessellate faces you want to show in greater detail. Displace space warp on a patch and the bitmap it uses Procedures To create a Displace space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps.
74 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems the Displace space warp object. Values less than 0.0 displace geometry toward the warp. Default=0.0 Planar—Projects the map from a single plane. Decay—By default, the Displace warp has the same around the cylinder. strength throughout world space. Increasing Decay causes displacement strength to diminish as distance increases from the position of the Displace warp object. Default=0.
POmniFlect Space Warp Interface POmniFlect viewport icon Procedure To create a POmniFlect space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click POmniFlect. 2. Drag in a viewport to create the planar icon. Note: Because particles bounce off the icon, the size of the icon affects particle deflection. 3.
76 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Timing group Refracts—Specifies the percentage of particles The two spinners specify the start frame and end frame of the deflection effect. POmniFlect. Time On/Off—Time On specifies the frame at which the deflection begins, and Time Off specifies the frame at which the deflection ends. Reflection group These options affect the reflection of particles from the space warp.
PDynaFlect Space Warp Distortion angle by the Diffusion angle. This effectively scatters the particles into a hollow cone. Variation—Specifies a range of variation of the Diffusion value. Pass Vel—Specifies how much of the particle’s initial speed is maintained after passing through the POmniFlect. Variation—Specifies the variation of the Pass Velocity setting applied to the range of particles. Common group Friction—The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the deflector surface.
78 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 3. Do either of the following: • If using a PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect, position the space warp icon where the particles strike (or will strike) the object. Resize and orient it as needed. Also, link the PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect as a child of the object. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but allows the deflector to follow the object as it moves.
PDynaFlect Space Warp Interface This affects both the particles and the dynamics reaction of the object struck by the particles. The more particles that strike the affected object, the more force applied to that object. If set to 0.0, the particles have no effect on the object. Bounce—This is a multiplier that specifies how much of the initial speed of the particle is maintained after collision with the PDynaFlect. Using the default setting of 1.
80 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems For example, if Inherit Vel is 1.0, particles with no motion that are hit by a moving PDynaFlect inherit the speed of the PDynaFlect at the point of collision. Physical Properties group passing through the SOmniFlect hits its outside surface first, and then its inside surface.
SDynaFlect Space Warp 5. Adjust the SOmniFlect parameters as necessary. SDynaFlect Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Deflectors > Object Type rollout > SDynaFlect The SDynaFlect space warp is a spherical dynamics deflector. It’s like the PDynaFlect (page 2–77) warp, except that it’s spherical, and its Display Icon spinner specifies the icon’s Radius value.
82 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems • 6. If using a non-event-driven particle system (page 2–233), bind (page 2–54) the particle system to the deflector icon. The procedures and options for using UDynaFlect are the same as for PDynaFlect (page 2–77), with the following changes and additions. On the Modify panel > Parameters rollout > Object-Based OmniFlector group, click Pick Object, and then select the object to use as a deflector. 7.
SDeflector Space Warp Interface SDeflector Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Deflectors > Object Type rollout > SDeflector Create menu > Space Warps > Deflectors > SDeflector The SDeflector space warp serves as a spherical deflector of particles. SDeflector viewport icon (with particle system on the left) Object-Based DynaFlector group Lets you choose the object to use as a deflector. Item—Displays the name of the selected object.
84 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Note: Because particles bounce off the perimeter of the spherical icon, the size of the icon affects particle deflection. 3. Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method: • If using Particle Flow (page 2–105), specify the deflector in the Collision test (page 2–208) or Collision Spawn test (page 2–211) parameters.
UDeflector Space Warp UDeflector Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Deflectors > Object Type rollout > UDeflector Create menu > Space Warps > Deflectors > UDeflector • If using a non-event-driven particle system (page 2–233), bind (page 2–54) the particle system to the deflector icon. 5. Position the UDeflector icon to interrupt the particle stream. 6. Adjust the UDeflector parameters as necessary.
86 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Variation—The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce setting. Chaos—The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found when Chaos is set to 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up to 90 degrees.
FFD(Box) Space Warp • If using Particle Flow (page 2–105), specify the deflector in the Collision test (page 2–208) or Collision Spawn test (page 2–211) parameters. • If using a non-event-driven particle system (page 2–233), bind (page 2–54) the particle system to the deflector icon. Interface 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up to 90 degrees Friction—The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the deflector surface. A value of 0% means they’re not slowed at all.
88 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The FFD(Box) space warp is a box-shaped lattice FFD object similar to the original FFD modifiers. This FFD is available as both an object modifier and a space warp. For information on the object-modifier version, see FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers (page 1–677). You create FFD space warps as separate objects similarly to the way you create standard primitives: by dragging the mouse in the viewport. The result is a lattice of control points.
FFD(Box) Space Warp 4. Determine the relative placement of the lattice to the object. If the lattice is to be outside of the object, turn on All Vertices. To affect only those vertices inside the lattice, choose Only In Volume, and position the lattice accordingly. 5. In the modifier stack display, choose Control Points as the sub-object level for FFD(box). 6. Adjust the control points.
90 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface height of the lattice. To create the space warp, you drag the mouse in the same way that you would to create a standard Box primitive. Note that these spinners don’t exist in the object-modifier version of the FFD. Label—Displays the current number of controls points in the lattice (for example: 4x4x4). Set Number of Points—Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled Length, Width, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons.
FFD(Cyl) Space Warp Only In Volume—Only vertices that lie inside the source volume are deformed. Vertices outside the source volume are not affected. All Vertices—All vertices are deformed regardless of whether they lie inside or outside the source volume, depending on the value in the Falloff spinner. The deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the deformation inside the volume. The deformation can be extreme for points far away from the source lattice.
92 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Procedures Example: Create an animated tablecloth: 2. In the Top viewport, create a cylindrical FFD space warp, centered on the table top, with a radius of 45 and a height of 5. 3. Click the Set Number of Points button and, in the Set FFD Dimensions dialog, set Side points to 12, Radial points to 5, and Height points to 2. 4. Move the entire FFD lattice up until it’s just over the surface of the table, as seen from the Front viewport.
FFD(Cyl) Space Warp 5. Because All X is on, all control points for the two rings will be selected.) In this next series of steps, you’ll bind the tablecloth to the FFD lattice, and then animate it to move over the table. On the status bar, click the Selection Lock Toggle button to lock the selection. In the Front viewport, drag the selected points halfway down the height of the table. 1. In the stack display, click the FFD(cyl) entry 6.
94 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 9. As you move the time slider back and forth and Interface examine the animation, you might find that the bottom of the tablecloth is deformed to the point where it’s hanging below the floor. To fix this, turn off Auto Key, go to frame 100, select the lower ring of control points, and move them up until the tablecloth is at the height you want it. You can also adjust the position of the other control points to create drapes, and so on. 10.
FFD(Cyl) Space Warp Cylinder primitive. Note that these spinners don’t exist in the object-modifier version of the FFD. Label—Displays the current number of controls points in the lattice (for example: 4x8x4). Set Number of Points—Displays a dialog containing three spinners labeled Side, Radial, and Height, plus OK/Cancel buttons. Specify the number of control points you want in the lattice, and then click OK to make the change. Side—The number of control points around the perimeter of the lattice.
96 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems along the local dimension specified by the button are selected as well. By turning on two buttons, you can select all control points in two dimensions. About—Displays a dialog with copyright and licensing information. Wave Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Geometric/Deformable > Object Type rollout > Wave Create menu > Space Warps > Geometric/Deformable > Wave The Wave space warp creates a linear wave through world space.
Wave Space Warp 3. Release the mouse button to set the icon size; then move the mouse to define the initial amplitude of the wave. 4. Click to set the wave amplitude. Interface Wave Length—Sets the length of each wave along the wave’s local Y axis, in active units. Phase—Offsets the phase of the wave from its origin at the wave object’s center. Whole values have no effect; only fractional values do. Animating this parameter makes the wave appear to travel through space. Decay—When set to 0.
98 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems behaves the same as the Ripple modifier (page 1–773). Use the Ripple space warp when you want the ripple to affect a large number of objects, or to affect an object relative to its position in world space. See also Wave Space Warp (page 2–96) Procedure To create a Ripple space warp: 1. Flexibility—Makes the bound object more or less responsive to the wave by multiplying the amplitude by this value. On the Create panel, click Space Warps.
Conform Space Warp The amplitude value set by dragging applies equally in all directions. The ripple’s Amplitude 1 and Amplitude 2 parameters are initially equal. Set these parameters to unequal values to create a ripple whose amplitude varies relative to the local X and Y axes of the space warp. Flexibility parameter (Modify panel) The Ripple space warp also has a Flexibility parameter that you can adjust individually in each bound object’s stack, at the Ripple Binding level.
100 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems the travel direction (toward the target object). The vertices of the deformed object move until they hit the target object. There is also a Conform compound object (page 1–319) that provides additional methods of conforming one object to another. The coin/disk moves from one corner of the terrain to the other. The terrain will become the target object, and the cylinder the deformed object.
Bomb Space Warp The disk floats 20 units above the terrain. Next, change the affected vertices. Wrap To Object group 4. Select the disk/cylinder. These options provide controls to select the target object. 5. In the modifier stack display, click the Cylinder Pick Object—Click this, and then select an object item so it’s highlighted in gray. 6. Apply a Mesh Select modifier. 7. At the Vertex sub-object level, in the Front viewport, region-select the bottom cap vertices of the cylinder. 8.
102 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface Right: Bomb viewport icon Left: Torus knot Effect of exploding the torus knot Procedure To create a Bomb space warp: 1. On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Geometric/Deformable from the list, and then on the Object Type rollout, click Bomb. 2. Create mesh objects to be exploded. 3. On the toolbar, click the Bind to Space Warp button. 4. Drag the mouse between each object and the Bomb space warp. 5.
Modifier-Based Space Warps of a tall cylinder with many height segments, and adjust Falloff to be less than the height of the cylinder. Also, if the bomb object is in motion during the blast, the result is not physically correct. Falloff On—Turn on to use the Falloff setting. The falloff range appears as a yellow, tri-hooped sphere. Fragment Size group These two parameters define the number of faces per fragment.
104 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface Gizmo Parameters rollout Gizmo Size group Length/Width/Height—Let you adjust the warp object’s dimensions. Deformation group Particle Systems Particle systems are useful for a variety of animation tasks. Primarily, they’re employed when animating a large number of small objects using procedural methods; for instance, creating a snowstorm, a stream of water, or an explosion.
Particle Flow Particle Flow Using Particle Flow Particle Flow is a new, extremely versatile and powerful particle system for 3ds Max. It employs an event-driven model, using a special dialog called Particle View (page 2–121). In Particle View, you combine individual operators (page 3–1079) that describe particle properties such as shape, speed, direction, and rotation over a period of time into groups called events (page 3–1029).
106 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems meet these conditions, they become eligible for redirection to the next event. Particle Flow provides a number of tools for determining where in the system particles currently reside, including the ability to change particle color and shape on an event-by-event basis. You can also easily enable and disable actions and events, and determine the number of particles in each event.
The Life of a Particle 1. Particle immediately after creation, with no speed. 2. The Speed operator sets the particle in motion. 3. The particle continues moving until acted upon by another action. The second way that particles move is logically, from event to event through the particle diagram, as constructed in Particle View (page 2–121). Each event can contain any number of operators that can affect, in addition to motion, a particle’s surface appearance, its shape and size, and others.
108 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Introductory Tutorial The best way to understand Particle Flow is by using it. This tutorial will acquaint you with some of the basic methods of working with Particle Flow. Create the Particle Flow system: 1. Start 3ds Max or reset the program. 2. On the Create panel > Geometry category, click the drop-down list and choose Particle Systems. 3. On the Object Type rollout, click PF Source. 4. In the Perspective viewport, drag out a rectangle.
Introductory Tutorial The rendered particles appear in a window. The default particle shape is a tetrahedron, a four-sided triangular solid. Its geometry is very simple, so the system can handle many particles quickly and efficiently, but it gives a good idea of how particles are behaving. Other basic shapes are a low-poly sphere and a cube; Particle Flow also lets you use any scene object as particle geometry. Modify the particle system in Particle View: 1. Press the 6 key to open Particle View.
110 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 2. In the global event, PF Source 01, click the name of the Render 01 (Geometry) operator to highlight it and access its parameters. Be sure to click the text area; clicking the icon simply toggles the operator’s active state. Because this operator is in the global event, it affects the entire particle system. Any operator you place here does likewise.
Introductory Tutorial Before you release the mouse button, make sure you see a solid blue line in Event 01 under the Display operator. If the line is red and goes through an existing operator, the Age Test will replace that operator. If you drop the Age Test outside of Event 01 it will create a new event. The test type is Particle Age, so this means that all particles that have existed for more than 15 frames will test True, and be passed on to the next event.
112 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The actual location of an event in the event display doesn’t matter; the recommended placement is for the sake of convenience when wiring the events. It also helps to make sense of complex schematics if the events are arranged logically. You can move an event by dragging its title bar. Next, you’ll perform the actual wiring of the Age Test to the new event. 5. Position the mouse cursor over the blue dot at the left end of the Age Test’s test output.
Introductory Tutorial pressing the DELETE key. Feel free to try this now, but undo any changes when you’re finished. 7. Click the Shape 02 operator and set Shape=Cube. Also, click the Display 02 operator and set Type=Geometry. View the wiring results: 1. Play the animation. Adjust the viewports so you can see the entire particle stream, if necessary.
114 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems change the Speed and Direction settings. When you change a setting, the change is reflected in the viewports in real time, even during playback. Try right-clicking actions and events and using Rename to give them custom names. Even with a custom name, an action’s tooltip reveals its type. Another facility of the right-click menu is to add comments to actions and events. Once you do so, a small red triangle indicates the comment’s presence.
Particle Flow FAQ How can I make all particles appear in the first frame while giving them different ages? (page 2–119) On the other hand, rate parameters, such as Speed, are measured in units per second, so they don’t change when you go to a different frame rate. How can I specify the time frame in which animated parameters are applied to particles? (page 2–119) When I go to a different frame, the software sometimes seems to freeze for a while.
116 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems the total number of particles, separately for viewport display and rendering. Tip: To speed up animation playback when you’re not adjusting parameters, use the Cache operator (see the following item). Is there a way to pre-calculate portions of a particle simulation, as in "baking" the animation? Yes.
Particle Flow FAQ Can I use more than one object as instanced geometry? Yes. With the Shape Instance operator (page 2–174), you can use groups, hierarchies, and objects consisting of multiple elements, with each members of the combined object constituting a separate particle. These objects can be emitted in a specific order, or in a random order. For example, you can use a text object, with the letters emitted in the order in which they appear in the text.
118 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems much greater control over how space warps affect the particles than with previous systems. How do I make particles follow a path? You can use the Speed By Icon operator (page 2–158) or the Find Target test (page 2–214), assigning the icon or target to a spline path. You’ll find illustrative procedures in both topics. Can I use Snapshot or dynamics with Particle Flow? No.
Particle Flow FAQ How can I make all particles appear in the first frame while giving them different ages? Use a negative frame range in the Birth operator (page 2–139). For example, to get a particle-age spread of 30 frames, set Emit Start to -29 and Emit Stop to 0. How can I specify the time frame in which animated parameters are applied to particles? You can animate many of the Particle Flow parameter values with keyframing.
120 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems will be primarily controlled by the test, in general, even if the operator comes after the test. However, the operator’s settings will still have some influence over particle behavior, particularly if its Speed value is significantly higher than that of the test. For a list of actions’ effective time frames, see Action Time Frames (page 2–137). the global event (page 3–1043) with a Material operator (page 2–182) or a Shape Instance operator (page 2–174).
Particle View Particle Flow User Interface Particle View Select a Particle Flow source icon > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6). Create panel > Geometry > Particle Systems > Object Type rollout > Click PF Source. > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6). wiring defines the schematic, or flow, of the particle system. By default, the name of each operator and test in an event is followed by its most important setting or settings in parentheses.
122 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems • The parameters panel contains rollouts for viewing and editing parameters of any selected actions. Basic functionality is identical to that of rollouts on the 3ds Max command panels, including usage of the right-click menu. To toggle display of the parameters panel, choose Display menu > Parameters. • The depot contains all Particle Flow actions, as well as several default particle systems. To see an item’s description, click its entry in the depot.
Particle View Menu Bar Interface Turn On Selected—Turns on any highlighted, Edit menu turned-off actions or events. Available only when one or more highlighted items are turned off. Turn Off Selected—Turns off any highlighted, turned-on actions or events. Available only when one or more highlighted items are turned on. Make Unique—Converts an instanced action to a copy that’s unique to its event. Available only when one or more instanced actions are highlighted.
124 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems For the results of pasting multiple copied items, see Paste, above. Delete—Deletes any highlighted items. Keyboard equivalent: DELETE. Deleting an event also deletes all of its actions. Rename—Lets you enter a new name for any single highlighted item in the event display. Available only when one action or test is highlighted Select menu between Particle View and the viewports. This also applies to use of the Views menu > Shade Selected command.
Particle View Menu Bar Also, if an action references an object (for example, a Shape Instance operator (page 2–174) uses a geometry object), and the action or its parent event is highlighted when you use Save Selected, then the reference object is saved as well. Get Selection From Viewport—Highlights global events whose source icons are selected in the viewports. Assign Selection To V iewport—Transfers an event selection to the viewports. Use this to render only particles in specific events.
126 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Options menu This menu contains a number of options useful in analyzing and debugging particle systems. Default Display—Determines whether the Display operator is applied locally or globally to new particle systems and events. Default=Local. • Global—When you create a new particle system, Particle Flow adds a single Display operator to the global event. It does not add a Display operator to each new event.
Particle View Event Display real-time playback might skip a greater number of frames. To see all frames, turn off Time Configuration > Real Time. Use Dynamic Names—When on, action names in the parameters panel is hidden; to display it, choose Display menu > Parameters. • events are followed by their most important setting or settings, in parentheses. When off, only the names appear. Default=on. Particle View Event Display Select a Particle Flow source icon.
128 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems operators and tests, although you cannot turn the operators and tests back on individually. The event’s items do not affect the particle system, and appear as gray in the event list. All particles entering a turned-off event are immediately passed on to the next event, if any. • To make a test result always True or False, click its icon’s left or right side, respectively.
Event Display Right-Click Menu drag the action to an empty space in the event display, it will form a new event, and, by default, the system will add a new Display operator. Note: Particle Flow doesn’t let you perform illegal operations. For instance, a Birth operator must always be the first item in a birth event (page 3–1010); the system doesn’t let you position it elsewhere.
130 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems If you right-click over a highlighted, instanced action, Make Unique affects all such actions. Wire—Wires one or more highlighted tests to a highlighted event, or one or more highlighted global events to a highlighted birth event. Available only when one or more tests and a single event are highlighted, or when one or more global events and a single birth event are highlighted, and when you right-click over an eligible, highlighted item.
Particle Flow Source Use Script Wiring—Lets you use a script to specify certain parameters in the Force operator (page 2–200) and Keep Apart operator (page 2–168). This command appears only when you right-click either of the specified, highlighted operators in an event. Comments—Lets you add comments to each action and event, and view existing comments. Available only when the mouse cursor is over an action or the title bar of an event. Choosing Comments opens a window for entering text from the keyboard.
132 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The particle source icon is roughly equivalent to the corresponding global event (page 3–1043) in Particle View. They have the same name, but selecting one does not select the other. If you delete a particle source icon from the scene, the software converts the global event to an isolated local event in Particle View, retaining its operators with their settings intact. Any other events in the system remain in Particle View, along with their wiring.
Particle Flow Source particles produced in the viewports and when rendering. These settings affect only the viewport display of these items; they have no effect on the particle system. Emitter Icon group Logo Size—Sets the size of the Particle Flow logo, which appears at the center of the source icon, as well as the arrow that indicates the default direction of particle motion. By default, the logo size is proportional to that of the source icon; with this control, you can make it larger or smaller.
134 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Selection rollout Selected particles appear in the viewports in red (if not geometry), in the form designated by the Display operator > Selected setting. Select by Particle ID group Each particle has a unique ID number, starting with 1 for the first particle and counting up. Use these controls to select and deselect particles by their ID numbers. Available only at the Particle selection level.
Particle Flow Source System Management rollout per animation frame). Range=1/8 Frame to Frame. Render—Set the integration step at render time. Default=Half Frame (twice per animation frame). Range=1 Tick to Frame. There are 4,800 ticks in a second; thus, at the NTSC video rate of 30 frames per second, there are 160 ticks per frame. Script rollout Use these settings to limit the number of particles in the system, and to specify the frequency of updating the system.
136 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems integration step, because otherwise the final position would be quite different. Enable Script—Turn on to cause a script in memory to be executed at each integration step. You can modify this script by clicking the Edit button, or load and use a script file with the remaining controls in this group. The default script modifies particle speed and direction, causing particles to follow a wavy path.
Actions Description instantaneous or continuous basis, depending on their settings. The tables below list each action with its time frame. Toggles active status of all particle systems. Operators Operator Time Frame Toggles Particle View dialog.
138 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Tests Most tests in Particle Flow function only as tests. At each integration step, they check each particle for the specified conditions, and then return the test result: True or False. So, as tests, they work on a continuous basis.
Birth Operator Material Frequency Operator (page 2–185) Material Static Operator (page 2–183) Birth and Death Position Icon Operator (page 2–143) Position Object Operator (page 2–144) Rotation Operator (page 2–149) Birth Operator Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Birth in an event or add a Birth operator to the particle system and then select it.
140 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 1. Start or reset the software, and add a new PF Source object to the scene. 2. Press 6 to open Particle View. The default particle system contains a Birth operator as the first action in the birth event. 3. Try to drag the Birth operator elsewhere in 10. Drag a Speed operator to an empty area of the event display. Particle Flow creates a new event, Event 03. 11. Wire the test output of Event 01 to the event input of Event 03. 12.
Birth Script Operator Note: The Emit Start and Emit Stop values are tied to the system frame rate. If you change the frame rate, Particle Flow automatically adjusts the Emit values accordingly. For example, if you set Emit Start to 120 and Emit Stop to 300 using the default NTSC frame rate (30 fps), and then switch to PAL (25 fps) using the Time Configuration dialog, you’ve reduced the frame rate to 5/6 of the original value.
142 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The default script (3dsmax\scripts\particleflow\ example-scriptbirth.ms) emits particles for 100 frames in a wavy, circular path. To see this, turn off or delete any Speed and Position operators in the event. See also Birth Operator (page 2–139) Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Edit Script—Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor window.
Position Icon Operator The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of maximum particle age using the By Particle Age > Variation setting. All Particles—Deletes all particles in the event immediately. Selected Particles Only—Deletes particles selected at the Particle sub-object level in the event immediately. See Selection rollout (page 2–134). By Particle Age—Deletes particles in the event after they’ve existed for a specific length of time, with an optional random variation.
144 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems effect, they’re “glued” to the emitter. When off, each particle’s birth position is determined by the emitter’s current location. Default=off. Inherit Emitter Movement—When on, the software sets each particle’s rate and direction of motion to that of the emitter at the time of birth. When off, the emitter movement doesn’t affect that of the particles. Available only when Lock On Emitter is off. Default=off.
Position Object Operator Use the Position Object settings to control the initial placement of particles on the emitter. You can set the emitter to emit particles from its surface, volume, edges, vertices, or pivot, or from a sub-object selection. You can also control particle emission with a material applied to the object. Alternatively, you can use the Position Icon operator (page 2–143) to emit particles from the Particle Flow icon.
146 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface each particle’s birth position is determined by the emitter’s current location. Default=off. Inherit Emitter Movement—When on, the software sets each particle’s speed and direction of motion to those of the emitter at the time of birth. When off, the emitter movement doesn’t affect that of the particles. Available only when Lock On Emitter is off. Default=off.
Position Object Operator (total number of particles/number of objects). But if you set Location to any other option, each object emits a number of particles proportionate to the number of available emission points per object. For instance, if you set Location to Volume, then a larger object will emit more particles than a smaller one. Similarly, with Location set to Vertices, an object with 100 vertices will emit twice as many particles as an object with 50.
148 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems object surface. The Min value cannot exceed the Max value, and vice-versa. If you try to raise Min above Max, or lower Max below Min, both values change equally. Density by Material—Varies emission over the emitter surface based on properties of the material applied to the emitter. For example, if the object is assigned a black-and-white checkered diffuse map and you choose the Grayscale option, particles are emitted only from the white checks.
Rotation Operator Total—Sets the number of emission points. Available only when Distinct Points Only is on. Default=10. If Location Is Invalid group three explicit. For some options you can set a degree of random variation or divergence from the specified orientation. To cause particles to spin, use the Spin operator (page 2–150). Delete Particles—When on, if the software cannot place a particle according to the current option, it deletes the particle.
150 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Speed Space—The coordinate space for particle orientation is determined by the particles’ direction upon entering the event. Divergence Axis—Use the X/Y/Z settings to set By default, using the Speed operator (page 2–155) > Along Icon Arrow option, particles are aimed straight down when born. To specify one of the world axes, set the corresponding parameter to any non-zero value, and the others to 0. A negative value flips the axis.
Spin Operator Interface Speed Space—The coordinate space for particle orientation is determined by the particles’ direction upon entering the event. The X axis is aligned with the particle direction, while the Z axis is perpendicular to the X axis and is pointed upward with respect to world space as much as possible. Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.
152 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Divergence—Defines the range of variation (in 3. Add a new Scale operator to the event display, degrees) for spin-axis orientation. The actual deviation is calculated at random within this range. Unavailable for the Random 3D option. Default=0. Range=0 to 180. creating a new event. Set the new event’s Display operator to Geometry, and make sure it’s a different color than the one in Event 01. 4. Wire the Send Out test in Event 01 to Event 02.
Scale Operator 14. Copy and paste the Age Test as an instance from Interface Event 03 to Event 04. In this event, particles shrink from full size to 10 percent of their original size over 30 frames. 15. Play the animation. Next, you’ll use a Noise controller to cause the particles in Event 03 to pulsate in size. 16. Add a second Scale operator to Event 03, below the existing Scale operator. Set it to Relative Successive, and set Sync By to Event Duration. The name of this operator should be Scale 04.
154 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems should be specified with a previous Scale operator, the Scale setting in the Shape operator (page 2–172), or a Shape Instance operator (page 2–174). For instance, if you previously used Scale with Overwrite Once to scale particles’ birth size within a range, and then want to scale them to half their previous size, use Inherit Once and set Scale Factor to 50%. Constrain Proportions, and then change any axis setting. Range=0 to 10000000. Default=100.
Speed Operator Animation Offset Keying group If you animate the Scale Factor or the Scale Variation settings or both, the software can begin applying this animation to all particles as of the start frame of the animation or the first frame of the current event, or to each particle based on its age.
156 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems See also 10. Add a Send Out test at the end of Event 02. Speed By Icon Operator (page 2–158) 11. Create a new event using an Age Test. Click the Keep Apart Operator (page 2–168) Age Test to display its parameters, and then set the following: Procedure • Event Age Example: To change particles’ speed: • Test Value=1 The Speed operator works on an instantaneous basis: It sets each particle’s speed once only, when it enters the event.
Speed Operator Interface Default=Along Icon Arrow. In most cases, the actual direction also depends on the icon orientation. The primary exception is when Position > Location is set to Pivot. Particle movement is always in a straight line unless influenced by other factors. Along Icon Arrow—Particles move parallel to the icon arrow. Rotate the icon to change the direction. Icon Center Out—Each particle moves along an imaginary line drawn between the particle’s location and the icon center.
158 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems If you choose Inherit Previous but no direction was previously specified, the speed and direction are undefined; the particles don’t move. Reverse—When on, the direction is reversed. Default=off. Using Reverse is the equivalent of multiplying the Speed value by -1. This option is unavailable if Random 3D or Random Horizontal is chosen. Divergence—When on, spreads out the particle Speed By Icon operator icon stream.
Speed By Icon Operator as Path Constraint. See the following procedure for an example of this. The particles’ motion is now under the influence of the animated icon. 3. Set the Speed By Icon parameters. With the icon selected, you can do this in the Modify panel. In general, the default Icon Animation > Sync By setting, Event Duration, works best. It causes the icon animation to be applied to the particles within the time frame of the event containing the Speed By Icon operator.
160 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Tip: The best way to view the results is from the Top viewport. The particles follow the path fairly closely, but diverge noticeably at the end of the path, where the turns are tightest. Correcting divergence in tight turns typically requires an increase in the acceleration limit. The endpoints now coincide. 13. Drag the time slider again. The particle stream diverges from the path at its endpoint. 10. Stop at frame 100.
Speed By Icon Operator 1. Reset the software, and then add a Particle Flow system in the Perspective viewport. Set its position to the world origin: (0,0,0). 2. Open Particle View and click the Birth operator. Set Emit Stop=0. This causes all particles to appear at frame 0. 3. Click the Speed operator and press the DELETE key to delete it. 4. Drag a Speed By Icon operator from the Depot to the end of Event 01. 10. Drag the time slider again. This time the particles move in an arc around the icon. 11.
162 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems particles’ speed can change in order to match the speed of the operator icon. Default=100.0. If the operator icon changes speed or direction rapidly, increase this value to let the particles follow it more closely. Tip: Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
Speed By Surface Operator • Particle Age—Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle’s existence. • Event Duration—Any keys set for parameters are applied to each particle relative to the frame at which it first enters the event. Icon Animation group The software can begin applying animation of the Speed By Icon operator icon to all particles as of the start frame of the animation or the first frame of the current event, or to each particle based on its age.
164 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems world origin (X/Y/Z=0), and set the icon’s Length and Width values both to 30. 2. Add a Cylinder primitive to the scene. Position it above the source icon: X/Y=0 and Z=30. Set Radius=20 and Height=40. 3. Play the animation, and then stop. The particles move downward, using the default starting setup. 4. Open Particle View and add a Speed By Surface operator to the end of Event 01.
Speed By Surface Operator 14. Click the Speed By Surface operator. Set Speed to 300 if necessary. In the Direction group, choose Out Of Surface, and then drag the time slider. After exiting the emitter, the particles always move away from the nearest surface, with the result that they end up milling about in the center of the cylinder. 15. Gradually increase the Speed value, up to 1,000 or so. The particles start to spread out vertically, and eventually start moving so fast that they escape the cylinder.
166 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. objects as Surface Geometry that your system uses as emitters. The first setting lets you choose whether the operator controls speed once or continuously.
Speed By Surface Operator must have Show Map In Viewport turned on in the Material Editor. The options are as follows: • Grayscale Multiplier—Lets material luminance control speed, with darker areas producing slower particles and lighter areas producing faster ones. The software multiplies the luminance of the material near each particle, converted to a percentage, by the particle’s current speed. A luminance of 0 converts to 0%, of 128 converts to 50%, and of 255 converts to 100%.
168 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Parallel To Surface—Each particle travels parallel to the nearest face. To make particles orbit an object, use this with Control Speed Continuously, and set appropriate Continuous Speed Control values (see the following section). Divergence—When on, spreads out the particle stream. Use the numeric setting to define the extent of the divergence. Range=0 to 180. Default=0. The value can be animated.
Keep Apart Operator to cause them to separate, in order to prevent or minimize collisions among particles. Alternatively, you can use a negative force to keep particles from separating too much. The operator works by controlling particle speed and acceleration. Interface Note: Keep Apart doesn’t use particle geometry; rather, it creates a spherical force field centered on the pivot of each particle. You can adjust the size of the force field by changing the particle size.
170 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems or negative values to move them closer together. Default=100.0 Accel(eration) Limit—When on, lets you set a maximum acceleration value that can be applied to particles’ motion. When off, the software uses any necessary acceleration. Default=on, 1000.0. Tip: Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
Keep Apart Operator 3–1036). The particles not in the current event are not influenced by the Keep Apart operator. When used globally, keeps apart and influences all particles in the current flow. Selected Events—Keeps particles in the current Wiring. Thereafter, a check mark appears next to the Use Script Wiring in the right-click menu, and the rollout appears whenever you highlight the operator. To turn off script wiring, choose Use Script Wiring again from the right-click menu.
172 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Shape Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Shape in an event or add a Shape operator to the particle system and then select it. • Sphere—Creates spherical particles. The sphere has the most polygons of the rendering particle shapes, and its orientation isn’t obvious. Size—Sets the overall size of the particles in system units. Default=10.0 Shape is the default operator for defining the geometry used in the particle system.
Shape Facing Operator Interface Look At object. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when positioned over a valid object. Use Parallel Direction—When off, all particles continuously rotate to stay facing toward the Look At object. Each particle’s orientation varies because its location differs from those of the others. When on, all particles face in the same direction, defined by an imaginary line between the Particle Source gizmo center and the Look At object. Default=off.
174 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Variation %—Sets the percentage by which particle size can vary. Default=0. Pivot At—Specifies the part of the particle around which rotation is performed when maintaining the facing direction. The choices, available from the drop-down list, are Top, Center, and Bottom. Default=Center. With Top and Bottom, the center of the corresponding side is used as the particle center for rotation.
Shape Instance Operator example, if you scale an object non-uniformly using the View reference coordinate system, the result might skew the object’s shape. Because the skewing is the by-product of a rotational transform, it wouldn’t be reflected in the particles’ shape. However, modifiers and comparable functions that contain transformations applied to the reference object are reflected in the instanced particles.
176 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface include multi-shape objects such as groups and hierarchies; see Separate Particles For group (page 2–177). After picking a reference object, its name appears on the button. You can use almost any geometry object as a reference object. By default, the operator automatically converts closed splines to rendering geometry by “filling in” the area defined by the shape outline.
Shape Instance Operator Selecting an open group will add only the group member you click, not the entire group. For group are on, in which case this displays the number of resulting different shapes. Separate Particles For group Scale (%)—Specifies a uniform scaling factor for all particles. Range=0 to 100000. Default=on, 100. 3ds Max provides a number of methods for combining disparate objects into single entities, including grouping, building hierarchies with linking, and attaching.
178 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Multi-Shape Random Order—When on, assigns shapes to particles in random order. When off, Particle Flow emits each shape in the multi-shape object as a single particle, in the order of the shape’s X coordinate. In other words, the shape with the lowest X-axis coordinate is emitted first, then the one with the next highest, and so on. The option is available only if at least one of Separate Particles For group check boxes is on. Default=off.
Shape Mark Operator New—Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. With these settings, faces are no longer coplanar, and the mental ray renderer gives better results. See also Shape Mark Operator Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Shape Mark in an event or add a Shape Mark operator to the particle system and then select it. Use the Shape Mark operator to replace each particle with either a rectangle or a box cut out from the particle geometry with an image mapped onto it.
180 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface Contact Object group Use this control for defining the object on which marks are to be left. [button]—Click this button, and then select an object in the scene to use as the contact object. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when positioned over a valid object. After picking a contact object, its name appears on the button.
Shape Mark Operator • Particle X/Y/Z—The Length direction is parallel to the projection of the particle’s local coordinate axis X, Y, or Z, respectively, as the particle moves toward the contact object. For example, if a drop of paint hits a surface perpendicularly, it creates a circular mark, but if it hits the surface at a lower angle, the resulting shape is an ellipse. • Random—Uses a random Length direction in the contact plane.
182 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Offset Variation—Specifies the maximum extent of a random variation in the actual surface offset among particles. Default=0.0. Adjusting this value can help to alleviate rendering artifacts with overlapping marks. Particles falling onto a two-element cylinder Left: Allow Multiple Elements is off; Right: Allow Multiple Elements is on.
Material Static Operator Related to this is the Mapping operator (page 2–191), which lets you give the same mapping coordinates to the entire surface of each particle in an event, thus using a single pixel from a material to color the particles. By animating the mapping coordinates, you can cause the particles to change color over time. This is particularly effective with a gradient material.
184 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems or random basis. The most common usage of this latter capability is with a Multi/Sub-Object material, for applying a different material to each particle. See also Overview of Materials in Particle View (page 2–182) material to the operator, its name appears on the button. Assign Material ID—When on, the operator defines a material ID number for each particle. Default=off.
Material Frequency Operator Per Second—Sets the number of times per second that the assigned material ID is incremented. If this value is the same as the rate at which particles enter the event, then one ID is assigned per particle. If it’s lower, then multiple particles are given the same ID, or if it’s higher, then the software increments the assigned ID faster than 1 per particle. Material Static operator. Turn on Assign Material ID, choose the Cycle assignment method, and set # Sub-Materials=9.
186 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface In general, this should remain on. Particle Flow uses the material ID with compound materials to know which sub-material to assign to a particle. Show In V iewport—When on, the material is shown applied to the particles in the viewports. # Sub-Materials—Displays the number of sub-materials in the assigned material. Material ID #1–10—Specifies the relative likelihood of particles to be assigned the corresponding material ID.
Material Dynamic Operator Material Dynamic Operator Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Material Dynamic in an event or add a Material Dynamic operator to the particle system and then select it. The Material Dynamic operator lets you give particles material IDs that can vary during the event. It also lets you assign a different material to each particle based on its material ID.
188 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 11. Click the Shape Facing operator, and in its rollout, click the Look At Camera/Object button, and then select the camera. 12. In the Size/Width group, increase In World Space > Units to about 15. 13. Add a Material Dynamic operator to Event 01, and assign it the material from the beginning of this procedure. 14. Turn on Show In Viewport. 15. In the Animated Texture group, make sure Same As Particle ID is chosen, and turn on Reset Particle Age.
Material Dynamic Operator If it isn’t, the particles all change color at the same time. Interface There’s no need to turn on Show In Viewport; the Particle Age map doesn’t appear in the viewports. 9. Render the animation, or a few representative frames. As each particle falls, it gradually changes color, with the oldest particles changing first. Tip: You needn’t actually delete the particles to use this method. There are several ways to avoid this.
190 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Assign Material ID—When on, the operator Randomize Age Offset—When on, the software defines a material ID number for each particle. Default=on. varies the difference between the particle age and the starting material ID at random. The maximum difference is determined by the Max Offset parameter. In general, this should remain on.
Mapping Operator assigned per particle. If it’s lower, then multiple particles are given the same ID, or if it’s higher, then the software increments the assigned ID faster than 1 per particle. For instance, if particles enter the event at intervals of 1/60 of a second, and Per Second=30, then each pair of particles will be assigned the same ID. Or if particles enter the event at intervals of 1/15 of a second, and Per Second=30, then the ID is incremented (or changed randomly) twice per particle.
192 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Procedure Example: To animate particle coloring using the Mapping operator: 1. Open the Material Editor, and create a material that uses Gradient Ramp as the Diffuse map. 2. On the map’s Gradient Ramp Parameters rollout, make sure Gradient Type is set to Linear. 3. Create a colorful gradient. The Mapping operator uses the colors in left-to-right order as the U value increases from 0.0 to 1.0. 4. Add a Particle Flow Source object to the scene. 5.
Cache Operator upper-left corner of the map, and W is useful only with three-dimensional maps, in which context it specifies depth. Sync By—Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. For further information, see Animation Offset Keying group (page 2–155). • Absolute Time—Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they’re set. • Particle Age—Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle’s existence.
194 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems times as many frames per second, and the Cache operator has stored four times as many frames per second, the two are synchronized. If the real-time playback speed is set to 2x or 4x, set the Viewport Integration Step to Frame. Procedure Example: To use the Cache operator: 1. Start or reset the software, and then add a Particle Flow system. 2. Open Particle View. 3. In Particle View, go to Options menu > Track Update and turn on Update Progress.
Cache Operator 14. Click the Cache operator, and in the Manual Interface Update group, click Update. The software closes Particle View, updates the cache for the active segment, and then reopens Particle View. The cached data is now accurate. Other manual update options let you update the cache for the entire animation or a custom frame range. As you can see, the Cache operator is quite powerful.
196 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems This setting determines whether Particle Flow should update the cache automatically, or let you do it manually. Default=Always. you use a Cache operator locally, and specify a frame range during which no particles are present in the event, Particle Flow won’t use the cache.
Cache Operator and is able to jump to an arbitrary frame without the need for test results. Save Cache with File—When on, the software Includes the cached data with scenes that you save to disk. This can significantly increase the size of saved files, but saves the time of recalculating the particle motion upon reloading the file. Default=off. Normally, the cache data is saved only in disk files that you create with the Save or Save As commands.
198 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Memory Used (K) group The Cache operator stores data in system memory; you can specify an upper limit for the amount of memory it uses. If the Limit setting and the amount of cached data exceeds the available free memory, the computer system might use virtual (hard disk-based) memory instead, which slows down the caching. If Particle Flow fills the cache, any remaining frames are calculated on the fly.
Display Operator particles will actually render, in three dimensions; Lines shows speed and direction of motion; and Bounding Boxes reflects scale and orientation. In the following list, each choice’s description is preceded by the number of dimensions used by each particle representation: • None—Particles do not appear in the viewports. • Dots—(0D) Each particle appears as a single pixel. • Ticks—(2D) Each particle appears as a + sign. • Circles—(2D) Each particle appears as a small circle.
200 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Force Operator Particle View (page 2–121) > Click a Force operator in an event or add a Force operator to the particle system and then select it. Procedure To affect particle motion with force space warps: 1. Add one or more force space warps to the scene, and set them up as necessary. 2. In Particle View, add a Force operator to any The Force operator lets you influence particle motion with one or more space warps from the Forces category.
Force Operator If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the list by the entry “”. Influence—Specifies the strength with which the Note: Particle Flow applies the forces to particle A negative Influence value reverses the force effects. motion in the order in which the space warps appear in the list; the effect is cumulative in top-to-bottom order.
202 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Script wiring lets you use a script to control parameters that you normally specify in the operator’s parameters. Place a Script operator (page 2–204) before the Force operator in the event, and then use it to define values in the particleFloat channel. You’ll find an example script below. Interface Use Script Float As—Choose either of the following: • Not Used—Particle Flow uses the Influence setting specified in the Parameters rollout.
Render Operator Interface Lower this value for faster rendering of complex particle systems. You can also reduce the number of particles in the system at render time with the Quantity Multiplier > Render setting (page 2–133). Render Result group Type—Lets you render particles as bounding boxes or geometry, or disable the particle system at render time, or enable the particle system but prevent it from sending renderable particles to the 3ds Max renderer. Default=Geometry.
204 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems This is a compromise method of operation, and can be used with renderers that cannot handle all particles in a single mesh, but can deal with groups of particles of a certain size. Mesh Count—The maximum number of mesh objects that Particle Flow will send to the renderer. Particles p/Mesh—The number of particles that each mesh object will comprise. Mesh Per Particle—Sends the renderer a separate mesh for each particle.
Empty Flow Empty Flow (page 2–205) Standard Flow (page 2–205) Standard Flow Particle View (page 2–121) > depot See also Operators (page 2–138) Tests (page 2–206) Empty Flow Particle View (page 2–121) > depot Empty Flow provides a starting point for a particle system consisting of a single global event containing a Render operator. This lets you build a system completely from scratch, without having first to delete the default operators provided by the Standard Flow system.
206 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Tests The basic function of a test in Particle Flow is to determine whether particles satisfy one or more conditions, and if so, make them available for sending to another event. When a particle passes a test, it is said to “test True.” To send eligible particles to another event, you must wire the test to that event. Particles that don’t pass the test (“test False”) remain in the event and are repeatedly subjected to its operators and tests.
Age Test Age Test Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Age Test in an event or add Age Test to the particle system and then select it. Age Test lets the particle system check whether a specific amount of time has passed since the start of the animation, or how long a particle has existed, or how long a particle has been in the current event, and branch accordingly. Interface age test succeeds or fails.
208 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Uniqueness group Procedure The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of the test value variation. Example: To test for particles slowing down after one or more collisions: Seed—Specifies a randomization value. New—Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Collision Test Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Collision in an event or add Collision to the particle system and then select it.
Collision Test In the next step, you’ll see what happens when actions in an event are not in the right order. Interface 9. In Event 01, move the Collision test above the Force operator, and then play the animation. Quite a few particles leak through the deflector. This happens because the software first tests the particles for a collision, and then applies the Gravity force.
210 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Add—Click this button, and then select a Deflector space warp in the scene to add it to the list. By List—Click this button, and then use the Select Deflectors dialog to add one or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the scene. Is Fast After Collision(s)—The test succeeds if, after collision, particle speed is greater than the Speed Max value.
Collision Spawn Test Collision Spawn Test Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Collision Spawn in an event or add Collision Spawn to the particle system and then select it. Collision Spawn creates new particles from existing ones that collide with one or more Deflector space warps. You can specify different post-collision behavior for the colliding particles and their offspring. Each spawned particle is born at the same location as its parent, and has the same orientation and shape.
212 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. In the context of Collision Spawn, a parent is the original particle from which new particles are spawned. Test True for group These check boxes let you specify which particles, if any, should become eligible for redirection to the next event upon satisfaction of the test conditions.
Collision Spawn Test Add—Click this button, and then select a Deflector space warp in the scene to add it to the list. By List—Click this button, and then use the Select Deflectors dialog to add one or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the scene. Remove—Highlight a deflector in the list, and then click this button to remove it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene. with five parent particles, Offspring #=1, and Spawnable=80.
214 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems set a Divergence so they eventually spread out. Default=Inherited. Parent—Specify the parent’s behavior. Available only when Delete Parent is off. • Bounce—The speed and direction after collision is determined by the deflector properties. • Continue—Particle speed and direction are unaffected by the collision. Offspring—Specify the behavior of the newly spawned particles.
Find Target Test moving toward the target. You can also specify where on the target the particles should go. Interface Alternatively, you can use Find Target as a simple proximity test: If a particle comes within a certain distance of its target, it becomes eligible for redirection to the next event. Find Target icon When you add a Find Target test to the particle system in Particle View (page 2–121), a spherical Find Target icon appears in the scene at the world origin (0,0,0).
216 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Control By ...—The drop-down list at the top of the parameters panel lets you choose whether to send particles to a target by specifying the speed and acceleration, or by specifying the amount of time they should take. Alternatively, by choosing No Control, you can test particles’ distance from a target. • Control By Speed—Specify speed and acceleration settings for the particles to follow while traveling to the target.
Find Target Test is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target. You can animate this setting (use Sync By > Event Duration) to specify different appropriate values, depending on the required results. Control By Time group Ease In %—Controls the rate by which particles slow down when it approaches the target point. The software calculates the final speed with this formula: (100% - Ease In) * Speed.
218 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems value. For example, if Time=60 and Variation=20, then the time to target for each particle would be between 40 and 80 frames. Mesh Objects—Use one or more scene mesh Subframe Sampling—Turning this on helps avoid particle "puffing" by timing particles at a much higher subframe resolution (that is, throughout each frame), rather than using the relatively coarse frame resolution. Default=on.
Find Target Test Follow Target Animation—Turn on to allow particles to follow a moving target; that is, a target whose location is animated. This requires more computation, because the destination must be updated at every integration step. Point—Lets you specify where on its target a particle should land. • Random—Each particle targets a random point on the target. • Closest Surface—Each particle targets the nearest point of the target’s surface.
220 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems • Along Icon Arrow—The final direction is the same as the Find Target icon arrow. Note: When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to indicate the direction particles will use for docking. You can change the docking direction by reorienting the icon. This applies even when using mesh objects as targets. • Icon Spherical—The final direction points toward the center of the operator icon.
Go To Rotation Test To set a target orientation, place the Go To Rotation test before an orientation-type operator (Rotation (page 2–149) or a Script operator (page 2–204) if it defines the rotation channel) in the same event. In this situation, the Go To Rotation test can grab the particle rotational component before the orientation-type operator overwrites it. The Go To Rotation operator modifies the particle orientation and spinning in the post-evaluation cycle. For an example, see the procedure below.
222 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface The possible options are: • Absolute Time—Time refers to the overall time of the system. Each particle will reach its target orientation at the frame number specified by Time. • Particle Age—Time refers to the time elapsed since the birth of the particle. Each particle will reach its target orientation when its age reaches the value specified by Time. • Event Duration—Time refers to the time elapsed since the particle entered the current event.
Scale Test Changing—Defines that the orientation-type operator sets a changing rotation for a particle. At each frame the desirable final rotation may be different. For example, if you use the test with a Rotation operator set to Speed Space Follow, the test will adjust the particle rotation constantly to aim at the changing final rotation. Target Rotation Spin group Defines the angular velocity for each particle when it reaches the target orientation.
224 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Interface • PreScale Size—Tests the size before scaling. • PostScale Size—Tests the size after scaling. • Scale—Tests the scaling percentage. Axis—Choose the axis to measure. Default=Average. • Average—Obtains an average measurement by adding the sizes on all three axes and then dividing by three. • Minimum—Uses the smallest dimension. • Median—Uses the middle dimension in order of size.
Script Test number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=10 and Variation=5, then the tested value for each particle would be between 5 and 15. New—Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Script Test Scale group These settings are available when Type is set to Scale. Test Value—The specific scaling factor to test for. Default=100%. Variation—The amount by which the value tested for can vary randomly. Default=0.0%.
226 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Send Out Test Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Send Out in an event or add Send Out to the particle system and then select it. The Send Out test simply sends all particles to the next event, or, conversely, keeps all particles in the current event. Use Send Out when you simply want to send particles to another event without any conditions. Tip: You can temporarily convert any test to Send Out.
Spawn Test Interface Once—Particles spawn one time only. For each existing particle, one new one is born. Delete Parent—When on, deletes each original particle from which a new one is spawned. Available only with the Once option. Per Second—Lets you specify a number of particles to spawn every second. For example, if you use the default Rate setting of 10.0, at 30 fps a new particle is born every three frames. Rate—The number of particles to spawn per second. Available only with the Per Second option.
228 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems For example, if Offspring #=20 and Variation=10, then the actual number of offspring for each particle would be between 18 and 22. Sync By—Choose the time frame to use when animating Rate, Step Size, Offspring #, and Variation: • Absolute Time—Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they’re set. • Particle Age—Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle’s existence.
Speed Test Speed Test Particle View (page 2–121) > Click Speed Test in an event or add Speed Test to the particle system and then select it. Speed Test lets the particle system check particle speed, acceleration, or the rate of circular travel, and branch accordingly. The test provides a number of variants that let you test speed or acceleration on specific axes, or simply whether the particle is accelerating or decelerating. Interface velocity on the world Z axis is positive.
230 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems • True When Decelerates—Returns a True value when the particle velocity is decreasing in value. Test True if Particle Value—Lets you specify whether the test passes particles on to the next event if the speed test succeeds or fails. Available for all tests except True When Accelerates/Decelerates. Default=Is Greater Than Test Value.
Split Selected Test Interface First N Particles—Splits off the number of particles specified as the N value (below), starting with the first particle to enter the event, and retains the rest. Particles After N First—Splits off all particles starting with the first one after N particles, as specified with the N parameter (below). All particles starting with the first to enter the event up to N are retained in the event.
232 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Note: This test considers only particles selected at the Particle sub-object level. To use all particles in an event at a specific frame, go to that frame, go to the Event sub-object level, and highlight the event. Then go to the Particle sub-object level, and on the Selection rollout, click Get From Event Level. Interface Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems Interface Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems Create panel > Geometry > Particle Systems Create menu > Particles Snowstorm created as a particle system This topic describes only the general properties of particle systems. Other plug-in particle systems might be available in your configuration.
234 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Note: Particles can participate in dynamics simulations. See also Creating a Non-Event-Driven Particle System (page 2–234) Creating a Particle Emitter (page 2–235) 2. Determine the number of particles. You set parameters such as birth rate and life span to control how many particles can exist at any given time. 3. Set particle shape and size.
Creating a Particle Emitter using opacity-mapped facing particles, instanced spheres, or metaparticles. Flowing Water You generate flowing liquid effects by setting Super Spray (page 2–245) to generate closely packed metaparticles. The metaparticles blob together forming a stream. Add a Path Follow (page 2–67) space warp to send the stream down a trough. Explosions Particle Array (PArray) (page 2–252) uses another object as its particle emitter.
236 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems surface properties of the material, regardless of which object is used as the source of the material. Achieving Particle Motion Blur Particle motion blur is actually the result of varying the opacity and the length of particles based on their speed. To accomplish this requires coordination between material assignment and the settings in the particle systems.
Using Mapped Materials with Particle Systems where the particle emerges, then the particle is yellow. Again, Tetra particles are an exception and the distribution-object material is mapped from head to tail. Fragment particles use the same technique, with additional options when the Thickness setting is greater than 0. When Thickness is 0, all faces in the fragment are mapped the same as the portion of the object surface from which they’re derived.
238 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Using Multi/Sub-Object Materials with Particle Systems just like the source object. When used with other particle types, the particles are assigned sub-materials in the same way as when Icon is chosen. Note: Instanced objects with Multi/Sub-Object materials cannot be image motion blurred. Using Spawned Particles The examples in this topic start you out with a very simple spawning using the Super Spray particle system.
Using Interparticle Collision Example: Adding spawning effects: 1. On the Particle Spawn rollout, choose Spawn Using Interparticle Collision on Death. 2. Leave Spawns spinner at 1, and set the Multiplier to 2. 3. Set the Direction Chaos spinner to 50. 4. Drag the time slider slowly over frames 8 to 25 (approximately). At frame 10, two pyramids appear at the death of the original particle (because of the Multiplier setting), and move off in different directions (because of the Direction Chaos setting).
240 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 3. Drag the time slider so you can see the particle spheres bounce off the deflector. Note that the rebounding particles move through each other. 4. On the Rotation & Collision rollout, turn on Enable in the Interparticle Collisions group. View the animation again. This time, the particles bounce off each other. Tip: InterParticle Collisions, Deflector Binding, and Bubble Noise do not get along well together.
Spray Particle System Interface • When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle creation is suspended until some particles die. • When enough particles die, particle creation resumes until Render Count is reached again. Drop Size—Size of a particle in the active units. Speed—Initial velocity of each particle as it leaves the emitter. Particles travel at this speed unless they are affected by a particle system space warp.
242 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems is based on the Render Count and the lifetime of each particle. To be precise: maximum sustainable rate=Render Count/Life Because the number of particles in a frame never exceeds Render Count, if the Birth Rate exceeds the maximum rate, the system will run out of particles, pause until some die off, and then start again, generating particles in bursts or spurts. Start—Number of the first frame where particles appear.
Snow Particle System Interface Kinds of Snow Blizzard (page 2–247) is a more powerful and advanced version of Snow. It provides all the functionality of Snow, plus additional features. Note: Tip: To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp (page 2–67). Procedure To create snow: 1. In the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is selected from the object category drop-down list, then click Snow. 2.
244 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Works in combination with the particle system’s timing parameters. • When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle creation is suspended until some particles die. Facing particles always face the camera (or the user’s perspective). They are provided especially for use with material maps. Use with an appropriate opacity map for bubbles or snowflakes.
Super Spray Particle System Turning Constant off does not mean that the birth rate varies automatically; the birth rate remains constant unless you animate the Birth Rate parameter. Tip: To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp (page 2–67). Emitter Group The emitter specifies the area where particles appear in the scene. It has a geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn’t renderable.
246 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems spray (based on the orientation of the emitter icon and indicated by the icon arrow) depends on the viewport in which you create the icon. Generally, the particles spray toward you when created in an orthographic viewport, or spray upward when created in a Perspective viewport. Basic Parameters rollout > Particle Formation group 3. Adjust the various parameters to alter the spray effect.
Blizzard Particle System Variation—Applies a percentage of variation to the Procedures speed of emission for each particle. To create a blizzard particle system: Blizzard Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > Blizzard Create menu > Particles > Blizzard This is an advanced version of the original Snow particle system. Tip: To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp (page 2–67).
248 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Basic Parameters rollout > Display Icon group Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group Specifies the number, size, and motion of particles. The emitter specifies the location where particles are generated in the scene. It has a geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn’t renderable. The emitter is displayed as a rectangle with a vector pointing out of one side. The vector shows the direction in which the system emits particles.
PCloud Particle System Tumble—Amount of random rotation of the particles. Tumble Rate—Speed at which the particles rotate. Particle Type rollout > Mat’l Mapping and Source group PCloud Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > PCloud Create menu > Particles > PCloud Use the PCloud (or Particle Cloud) particle system when you want a "cloud" of particles that fill a specific volume.
250 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems The emitter appears with a letter "C" representing the particle cloud. 3. Adjust the various parameters on the command panel. Interface PCloud viewport icon (object-based emitter) This section describes the Object-Based Emitter, Particle Formation, and Display Icon groups in the Basic Parameters rollout, and the Particle Motion group in the Particle Generation rollout. These are the only controls unique to PCloud.
PCloud Particle System Basic Parameters rollout Box Emitter—Chooses a box-shaped emitter. Sphere Emitter—Chooses a sphere-shaped emitter. Cylinder Emitter—Chooses a cylindrical emitter. Object-Based Emitter—Chooses the object selected in the Object-Based Emitter group. Note: With regard to animation of the object-based emitter, the particles will properly fill a deformed object at frame 0, but they can’t stay with the emitter while it’s moving.
252 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group Variation—Applies a percentage of variation to the direction when you choose either the Direction Vector or Reference Object option. This spinner is unavailable and has no effect when you choose Random Direction. PArray Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list.
PArray Particle System 2. On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click PArray. 3. Drag anywhere in a viewport to create the particle-system object; see Creating a Particle Emitter (page 2–235). 4. On the Basic Parameters rollout, click Pick How particles can be distributed on an object: Left: Edges Center: Vertices Right: Faces • You can use it to create sophisticated object explosions.
254 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 4. Select the PArray icon. 5. On the Particle Type rollout in the Mat’l Mapping And Source group, choose Picked Emitter. 6. In the Particle Type rollout > Particle Types group, turn on Object Fragments. 7. Make sure the three spinners in the Fragment they let you specify the initial distribution of the particles in relation to the geometry of the distribution object, and the initial velocity of the particles from the distribution object.
Basic Parameters Rollout (PArray) object-based emitter, and is used either as the source geometry over which particles form, or the source geometry used to create particles that appear to be fragments of the object. if Use Selected SubObjects is on and Particle Formation group > At Face Centers is on, the particles will stream only from the top cap of the cylinder. Default=off.
256 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Viewport Display group Interface Specifies how the particles are displayed in the viewports. Dots—Displays the particles as dots. Ticks—Displays the particles as crosses. Mesh—Displays the particles as mesh objects. This results in slower viewport redraws. BBox—For instanced geometry only, this displays each instanced particle, whether a single object, a hierarchy, or a group, as a bounding box.
Particle Generation Rollout Use Rate—Specifies a fixed number of particles Emit Stop—Sets the last frame at which particles emitted per frame. Use the spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame. are emitted. This setting has no effect if you choose the Object Fragments particle type. Use Total—Specifies a total number of particles Display Until—Specifies the frame at which all formed over the life of the system. Use the spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame.
258 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems to most. Thus, Emitter Rotation is more costly than Emitter Translation, which is more costly than Creation Time. Particle Size group These spinners specify the size of the particles. Particle Type Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud > Particle Type rollout Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter.
Particle Type Rollout Interface choose, different controls become available in the lower portion of the Particle Type rollout. Standard Particles—Uses one of several standard particle types, such as triangle, cube, tetra, and so on. MetaParticles—Uses Metaball particles. These are particle systems in which the individual particles blend together in blobs or streams. Object Fragments—Creates particles out of fragments of an object. Object Fragments is available only with Particle Array.
260 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems single object, and each particle array can emit a different type of particle. Tip: Image motion blur, described in Object Properties (page 1–111) > Motion Blur group, is known not to work properly with instanced particles. Use object motion blur with instanced particles, or use image motion blur with standard particles. The default alignment of the tetra particles depends on the particle system type and emitter setup.
Particle Type Rollout of the particles, and the viewport coarseness is set to about twice that of the rendering coarseness. One Connected Blob—When off (the default), all particles are calculated; when on, a shortcut algorithm is used that calculates and displays only those particles that are adjoining or contiguous to each other. Note: One Connected Blob mode speeds particle calculations, but you should use it only when your metaparticles form one connected blob, as the label indicates.
262 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Instancing Parameters group • Animation of object-space modifiers, such as the Angle setting of a Bend modifier (page 1–541). • Transform animation of a hierarchical object’s children. Transform animation of the top-level parent and non-hierarchical objects is not supported.
Particle Type Rollout and the first particle is born at frame 30, when the object is at 45 degrees, then that particle, and all subsequent particles will be born starting at a bend of 45 degrees. overwrite the currently assigned material with an instance of the source material. Random—This option is the same as None when Note: The Time and Distance options are available only when you choose this option. Frame Offset is set to 0.
264 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems specific submaterial, you can assign it by changing the Outside ID number. Interface Edge ID—Specifies which submaterial ID number is assigned to the edges of the fragments. Backside ID—Specifies which submaterial ID number is assigned to the back sides of the fragments. Rotation and Collision Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list.
Object Motion Inheritance Rollout Spin Axis Controls group Interparticle Collisions group These options determine the spin axis for the particles, and provide a partial method of applying motion blur to the particles. These options enable collisions between particles, and control how the collisions occur. Note that this involves intensive calculation, particularly when large numbers of particles are involved. Random—The spin axis for each of the particles is random.
266 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems 3. Play the animation while observing it from the Top viewport. The emitter stops at frame 15, while the particles it has emitted up to that point continue moving along the diagonal between the emitter’s path and that of the particles. The remaining particles move straight out from the emitter. 4. On the Object Motion Inheritance rollout, set Influence to 50. 5. Play the animation again.
Particle Spawn Rollout Variation—The percent of Amplitude variation Interface applied to each particle. Period—The cycle time for one complete oscillation of a particle through the bubble "wave." A recommended value might be 20 to 30 intervals. Note: Bubble motion is measured in time, not in rate, so a very large Period value means the motion takes a long time to complete. Thus, there is no motion, effectively.
268 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems depending on Particle Bounce settings in the deflector, and on death they disappear. Die After Collision—Particles disappear when they strike a deflector to which they’re bound, such as the SDeflector. Affects—Specifies the percentage of particles that will spawn. Reducing this reduces the number of particles that produce spawned particles. Multiplier—Multiplies the number of particles spawned at each spawning event.
Particle Spawn Rollout Scale Chaos group Lifespan Value Queue group These options let you specify a list of alternative lifespan values for each spawned generation of particles. The spawned particles use these lifespans rather than the lifespan specified for the original particles in the Life spinner on the Particle Generation rollout (page 2–256). List window—Displays a list of lifespan values.
270 Chapter 11: Space Warps and Particle Systems Pick—Click this, and then select an object in the Interface viewport to add to the list. Note that the type of object you use is based on the settings in the Instancing Parameters group of the Particle Type rollout. For example, if you’ve turned on Subtree in that group, you can pick object hierarchies. Likewise, if you’ve picked a group, you can use groups as your spawned particles. Delete—Deletes the currently highlighted object in the list window.
Animation Creating Animation You can animate almost anything in 3ds Max scenes. The program provides a number of different ways to create animation, and a wealth of tools for managing and editing animation.
272 Chapter 12: Animation This section discusses the basics of creating animation. It looks briefly at a comparison between computer animation and classic hand-drawn animation, and then describes the creation of keyframed animation.
Animation Concepts record the beginning and end of each animated sequence. The values at these keyframes are called keys. The software calculates the interpolated values between each key to produce the completed animation. time-based animation versus frame-based animation is critical as animation becomes more common for scientific and legal presentation. 3ds Max can animate just about any parameter in your scene.
274 Chapter 12: Animation Track Bar—Provides quick access to keyframes and interpolation controls. Can be expanded for function curve editing. See Track Bar (page 3–750). current time. If that key was the first animation key created for the parameter, a second animation key is also created at time 0 to hold the parameter’s original value. Motion Panel—Use this panel to adjust transform controllers that affect all position, rotation, and scale animation. See Working with Controllers (page 2–284).
Using Set Key Mode The results of changing an object or any other parameters with Auto Key off varies according to whether or not the object or parameters have been animated yet. • If you create a new object, or change an object parameter that has not been animated yet, you can work at any time with Auto Key off. The changes you make are constant through the entire animation. For example, you might animate an object bouncing around your scene and then decide to create pads for the object to land on.
276 Chapter 12: Animation first, (extremes and breakdowns), and then the intervening frames are filled in later. Once a character has been correctly drawn for a specific frame, pose-to-pose animation requires that all the keyable tracks needs to be keyframed. This creates a pose of the character that will not be affected if animation for the character is edited at other points in time. If all the animatable tracks are keyed in the extremes, the in-betweening work will not destroy any of those poses.
Using Set Key Mode Using Set Key with Modifiers and Object Parameters When you want to set a key on an object’s parameters, and you have the Object Parameters Key Filter selected, every parameter will receive a key, unless you have turned off the parameter track in the Controller window of Track View using Keyable icons. It might be easier to simply SHIFT+right-click the parameter spinner to set the key.
278 Chapter 12: Animation When the button turns red, it sets a key which appears on the time ruler. The keys are color coded to reflect which tracks are being keyed. between various object parameters. It also allows you to show the parameter in Track View (page 2–483) or in the Parameter Wiring dialog (page 2–395). Interface With the exceptions of Undo and Select All, each of the following commands takes effect on the parameter you right-click. It’s not necessary to first click in the value field.
Viewing and Copying Transform Keys open the menu. For best results, first click in the field, and then right-click the field and choose Select All. Use the Track View to view all key types. You can also see all keys for the current selection in the track bar (page 3–750). Copy Animation—Copies the animation controller, For example, suppose you animate a sphere by moving it at frame 20, and scale and rotate it at frame 50.
280 Chapter 12: Animation key values, right-click the time slider to display the Create Key dialog. Creating Position Lock Keys and Rotation Lock Keys Creating a lock key creates a key with Linear interpolation. If you create the lock key while an existing key is selected, it changes that key’s interpolation from Smooth to Linear. (Different types of interpolation are described in Bezier Controllers (page 2–305).
Controlling Time Controlling Time You create animation by changing your scene over time. You can exercise great control over time, as follows: • How time is measured and displayed. • The length of the active time segment (the part of the animation in which you’re currently working). • How much time is covered by each rendered frame of your animation. Other issues in the topics which follow describe how to move through time and how to view animation in the viewports.
282 Chapter 12: Animation For example, 2:16:2240 represents 2 minutes, 16 seconds, and 2,240 ticks. • Scale all animation in the active time segment to fit within a new time range. • Move the entire animation to a new time. Setting Time Segments The active time segment specifies a block of working time. You might think of it as a window in time that you use to focus on a specific part of your animation.
Choosing a Frame Rate and Playback Speed Using the Time Slider The time slider shows you the current time, and lets you move to any time in your active time segment. To change the current time using the time slider, do one of the following: • Drag the time slider. • Click in the empty track to either side of the time slider. • Click the increment arrows at either end of the time slider. When you click in the slider track, the time slider jumps to the time where you clicked.
284 Chapter 12: Animation NTSC: U.S. and Japanese video standard of about 30 frames per second. PAL: European video standard of 25 frames per second. Film: Movie standard of 24 frames per second. Custom: Frame rate set in the FPS parameter. Configuring Animation Playback You use settings in the Time Configuration dialog (page 3–768) > Playback group to specify the playback speed, and the number of viewports that play the animation. display mode, and so on.
Understanding Controllers Note: If you load in files made in earlier versions of the software, their existing controllers will be maintained. Warning: Be aware that Euler rotations behave differently than TCB rotations. If you are used to using TCB controllers, you can reassign TCB Rotation as the controller and you will get the same behavior you are used to. 3ds Max has a specialized type of controller, called a constraint, that is commonly used to help automate the animation process.
286 Chapter 12: Animation include high-level Transform controllers, such as PRS (page 2–341), the Euler XYZ Rotation controller (page 2–312), the Transform Script controller (page 2–364), and the List controller (page 2–326). A compound controller appears in the Hierarchy list as a controller icon with subordinate-level branches of other controllers. Controllers and Constraints In addition to controllers, the software can animate using constraints.
Assigning Controllers • Each track displays only one properties dialog in each Track View window. • When properties dialogs for multiple tracks are visible, only one dialog can be active. • Properties dialogs for tracks that use keys are disabled unless keys are selected. Changing Controller Properties Some controllers do not use keys, using instead a properties dialog that affects the entire animation. Such controllers are usually parametric controllers like Noise, or compound controllers like List.
288 Chapter 12: Animation Assigning Controllers in Track View You can assign controllers to any animatable parameter in the Curve Editor by selecting controller items and then choosing Assign Controller on the Controller menu. You can also assign controllers to any animatable parameter in the Track View — Curve Editor by selecting the parameter in the Hierarchy List then right-clicking and choose Assign Controller from the quad menu.
Specifying Default Controllers • You can choose to make an instance or a copy of the pasted controller. dialog you have the option to click Make Default before clicking OK. • You can choose to convert other controller instances in the scene automatically. Clicking Make Default assigns the chosen controller as the default for all parameters using that data type.
290 Chapter 12: Animation Euler XYZ Rotation acts quite differently than TCB. It gives you three function curves to manipulate, but does not allow rotations of greater than 180 degrees at a key. If you are used to working with TCB controllers, you can change the default rotation controller back to TCB. Once you click OK, the controller defaults are changed. Changes to the controller default settings are written to your 3dsmax.
Special-Purpose Controllers use a List controller to combine Noise Position with Bezier Position. The Bezier controller moves the object while the Noise controller makes the object shake and stray a little from the trajectory. XYZ Controllers The XYZ controllers such as Euler XYZ (page 2–312) and Position XYZ (page 2–340) are specifically designed so that you have three separate curves, one for each axis. This allows you to independently view and control the curves individually.
292 Chapter 12: Animation Motion Capture Controllers Interface A Motion Capture controller controls parameters in real time from the input of external devices. Currently supported devices are mouse, keyboard, MIDI device and joystick. Each device has specific properties that must be set: Note: These commands are not available in the default user interface. You can use the Customize User Interface dialog to assign a keyboard shortcut to them or add them to your toolbars or menus if you want to use them.
Controlling Transforms functionality, but with one significant difference. The on/off state of the parameter does not switch automatically every time you add a key. This allows you to effectively add keys in the middle of a sequence without creating unintended drastic changes. Note: PRS controller is no longer the default controller applied to all objects. The latest version of the software uses Position XYZ and Euler XYZ as the new default controllers for position and rotation transforms.
294 Chapter 12: Animation See Euler XYZ Rotation Controller (page 2–312), Position XYZ Controller (page 2–340), and Scale XYZ Controller (page 2–355). • You can move keys in Track View to change timing. Controlling Rotation • You cannot display controller or key properties, or function curves. Below the Transform controller is the Rotation controller. Rotation is a data type that can use most of the standard controllers such as TCB, Linear, and Noise.
Morph Controllers Point3: A general-purpose, three-component data type that works with RGB color values. It uses most of the standard controllers. Color: A special data type designed specifically for working with RGB and HSV color values. Color uses the Bezier and RGB controllers. Color Point3 Controller You can assign any of a variety of Point3 controllers to a material’s color channels, including Point3 Expression, Point3 List, Color RGB (described later in this topic), and so on.
296 Chapter 12: Animation You can also click Add Keys in Track View to create new Barycentric Morph keys. The added keys contain interpolated values for all targets. • Convert the path to a spline object. • Derive a new path from a spline object. • Collapse transforms. Values under Sample Range are used in the Spline Conversion and Collapse Transform functions. Motion Panel Commands Procedures To display an object’s trajectory: Trajectories 1. Select an animated object that moves over time. 2.
Trajectories side of the key. This allows you to use the trajectory key to create the illusion of hesitation or acceleration. You can click repeatedly to add many keys in this mode. Sub-Object—Enables key editing. Use the Move, Rotate, and Scale transforms to change the location of a key(s) displayed on a trajectory. Trajectories rollout Delete Key—Deletes the selected key(s) from the To delete a key from a trajectory: trajectory. 1. Select a key on a trajectory.
298 Chapter 12: Animation Spline Conversion group Procedure Convert To/Convert From—Converts keyframe To create a PRS transform key: position tracks to and from spline objects. This enables you to create a spline trajectory for an object and then convert that spline to keyframes for that object’s position track in order to do various keyframe-specific functions (such as applying constant velocity to the keys and normalizing the time).
Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog Position/Rotation/Scale—Determines the contents Interface of the Key Info rollouts that appear below the PRS Parameters rollout on the Motion panel. Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog Select an animated object > Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Basic) rollout Select an animated object. > Right-click a key on the track bar. > Choose a controller track. Curve Editor > Right-click a key. Parameter Collector (page 1–133) > Click a Properties button.
300 Chapter 12: Animation Tangent Copy buttons—Use the arrow buttons at either side of the Key Tangent flyouts to copy the tangent type between the tangents of the current key or between the tangents of the previous and next key. • The left arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the previous key. • The right arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the current key. • The left arrow of the Out tangent copies to the In tangent of the current key.
Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog tangent begins fast and decelerates as it leaves the key. Custom—Displays adjustable tangent handles at the key in Function Curves mode in 3ds Max. If you are creating Path animation, you can force constant velocity by placing a Normalize Spline modifier (page 1–739) on the spline used as a path. See also Key Info (Basic) Rollout/Dialog (page 2–299) Procedure Flat Tangent— Displays a smooth interpolation type designed to eliminate overshoot with no editable handles.
302 Chapter 12: Animation changing the length and angle of the tangent handle. Lock button—Changes one Custom tangent by changing the other an equal but opposite amount. For example, if you click the Lock button and the In value is 0.85, then the Out value is -0.85. Normalize Time—Averages the position of the keys in time and applies them to any consecutive blocks of selected keys. Useful if you have an object that speeds up and slows down repeatedly, and you want to smooth out the motion.
Audio Controller Color RGB Controller (Point3 XYZ Controller) (page 2–311) See also Euler XYZ Rotation Controller (page 2–312) Animation Constraints (page 2–375) Working with Controllers (page 2–284) Expression Controller (page 2–315) Inverse Kinematics (IK) (page 2–417) Limit Controller (page 2–319) Linear Controller (page 2–325) List Controller (page 2–326) Link Constraint (page 2–386) LookAt Constraint (page 2–388) Motion Capture Controller (page 2–331) Master Point Controller (page 2–330) Noise Co
304 Chapter 12: Animation The Audio Controller dialog appears. 4. Select Choose Sound, and select a .wav file. 5. In the Base Scale group, set the Z field to 0. Note: The Morpher modifier provides an alternative to the Morph controller to morph objects. 6. In the Target Scale group, set the Z field to 600. See also 7. Close the Audio Controller dialog and play the Morph Compound Object (page 1–309) animation. The box scale is animated along the Z axis.
Bezier Controllers Bezier Controllers Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Bezier Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Bezier 2. On the Motion panel, in the Key Info (Advanced) rollout, click Normalize Time. The key is moved in time to average the velocity through the key.
306 Chapter 12: Animation See Tangent Types (page 2–300) for detailed information on each of the available tangent choices. Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Advanced) rollout Tangent Copy—Copies the tangent type between the tangents of the current key or between the tangents of the previous and next key. Use the arrow buttons on either side of the Key Tangent flyouts. The left arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the previous key.
Block Controller Normalize Time—Averages the position of the keys in time and is applicable to any consecutive blocks of selected keys. Useful if you want to smooth out the motion and have an object that speeds up, slows down, speeds up, and slows down. Constant Velocity—Interpolates values between Block Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Expand Global Tracks in the Track View hierarchy.
308 Chapter 12: Animation Master Block Parameters Dialog Procedures After assigning a Master Block, right-click the MasterBlock track to display the Master Block Parameters dialog (page 2–372). This is the first step in creating a block. Example: To create a block: With this dialog, you can save blocks and then load them later. Blocks are saved as BLK files. 2. Open Track View — Dope Sheet.
Block Controller tracks. This enables communication between the track and the Block controller. • With the Blend track (below the MasterBlock track in the Track View hierarchy) you can animate how much of the block animation will be in effect. Negative values reverse the animation. To remove an inserted block: • Click to select the block, then press DELETE. Interface • Controllers that each block uses are listed under the block name. This allows you to adjust the data for a particular block.
310 Chapter 12: Animation MasterBlock Subtracks Below the main MasterBlock track are subtracks. The first of these is always Blend. The remaining subtracks are initially copies of the tracks used to create the block. Blend track—Lets you animate the influence of the block. You can reduce the block’s influence by creating Blend keys with values less than 1.0. Default=1.0.
Color RGB Controller (Point3 XYZ Controller) float or boolean class controller, such as sphere’s Hemisphere or Smooth track. To change Boolean controller key values via MAXScript: Boolean controller key values can be changed in on of two ways: through Track View’s Dope Sheet editor or through MAXScript. • Enter the following into either the MAXScript Listener or Mini Listener:..keys[].
312 Chapter 12: Animation The Bezier Float controller is a single parameter controller. Note: The Color RGB and the Point3 XYZ controllers are identical in function, except that the labels of their tracks are RGB and XYZ respectively. Point3 XYZ controllers can be used for functions such as Noise Strength, and the FFD modifier. Procedure Example: To animate the background color of a rendered animation: 1. Open Track View – Curve Editor. 2.
Euler XYZ Rotation Controller There are actions available from the Customize User Interface dialog (page 3–836) that let you This sets the Amplitude setting to 5729.598 (the number of degrees in 100 radians). create explicit axis keys. The Gimbal reference coordinate system (page 1–423) is meant for use with this controller. With other coordinate systems, rotating about one axis always changes at least two tracks.
314 Chapter 12: Animation 10. Select the Z axis in the Euler Parameters rollout, and then enter 90 in the value field of the Key Info (Basic) rollout. Play the animation. The box rotates 500 degrees around the X axis and 90 degrees around the Z axis. In this case the X axis is rotated first, then Z.
Expression Controller Expression Controller Scene element Controller Transforms Position [X, Y, Z] X Rotation Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Expression Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
316 Chapter 12: Animation 3. Select the track for the variable to use, and then click OK. Example: To create an expression that moves a sphere in a precise circle: 1. Create a sphere 30 units in diameter. Use Track View to create the Expression controller. 2. On the Main toolbar, click Track View. 3. In the Hierarchy list, expand Objects > Sphere01 so the sphere’s Position track is visible. Select this track by clicking the Position label once to highlight it. 4.
Expression Controller The name "boxposn" is displayed in the Vectors list in the lower-left part of the dialog. Variable names are case sensitive; the variable name should be lower case. 4. Click Assign to Controller. The Track View Pick dialog is displayed. It shows the object hierarchy as it appears in the left side of Track View-Dope Sheet. 5. In the Hierarchy list, highlight the Position controller for Box01 and then click OK. 6.
318 Chapter 12: Animation change the variables or move the time slider, the Debug window automatically updates so you can interactively view what’s happening with the expression. The values for frames (F), normalized time (NT), secs (S), and ticks (T) are also displayed. Evaluate—Evaluate the expression for each frame in the animation. There is no explicit assignment (= or := operator) as in a conventional programming language; the assignment is implicit and takes place over time.
Limit Controller Changing the Number of an Object’s Segments Based on Camera Distance This expression varies the number of segments in a cylinder based on the distance of a camera. It is assigned to the cylinder’s Segments creation parameter.
320 Chapter 12: Animation • position extents for sliding drawers • camera field-of-view • limiting patch resolution to that supported by the game engine Character riggers can use limits to create complex relationships or shortcuts in rigs. Examples include: • Wire wrist-twist bones to the rotation of the hand, but limit the rotation of the wrist-twist or hand to stop short of any flipping that might occur.
Limit Controller In this example, the teapot position was animated on the X axis between extents of about -45 to 40, and on the Y axis between extents of about -80 and 54. 4. Click the X Position track and then the Limited Controller track to compare them. Because the original X-axis movement falls within the default limits, the two tracks are identical. 5. Scrub the animation until the X-axis position is where you want to set a limit.
322 Chapter 12: Animation The original motion still exists as the Limited Controller track; you can restore it temporarily by toggling the Limit controller. 10. Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit Controller > Toggle Limit. Now, when you scrub the animation, the object moves as before. 11. Choose Limit Controller > Toggle Limit again 7.
Limit Controller motion appears as though the object is hitting the inside edge of a box. Finally, we’ll cover the Smoothing Buffer settings. By default, sharp corners are created wherever a curve is limited, causing abrupt changes in motion. You can smooth off these corners with the Smoothing Buffer parameters, resulting in more natural-looking motion. 17. Highlight the X Position track, and then Now you get smoothing at both the upper and lower limits.
324 Chapter 12: Animation Upper Limit Group Enable—Toggles the upper limit set by the controller. When off, no upper limit is imposed. Default=on. [Upper Limit value]—The highest value permitted by the Limit controller. Any values above this value in the original controller are clipped; that is, they’re set to this value, unless smoothing is in effect. Default=1000.0.
Linear Controller Limit Controller right-click menu Remove Limit—Deletes the Limit controller, restoring the original controller without limits. Copy Limit Only—Copies only the Limit values and ignores the limited controller of the highlighted track. Paste Limit Only—Applies only the copied Limit values, or adds a Limit controller with the copied values if one doesn’t exist, while retaining the values of the original limited track.
326 Chapter 12: Animation • A color parameter to change from one color to another at a constant rate of change. List Controller • Transforms to produce mechanical, robot-like motion. Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > List Procedure Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
List Controller a controller in the Motion Panel or Track View, where only the specified controller is assigned. Interface Motion panel > Parameters > List rollout You can animate List controller weights to achieve the equivalent of a non-linear animation system. Each list controller track can hold different values from frame to frame that you can turn on or off, or blend between by animating the weights. Procedure Example: To use the List controller to combine two controllers: 1.
328 Chapter 12: Animation Cut—Removes the selected controller and stores it in a temporary clipboard. The clipboard contents are only held until you paste the controller, close the List Controller dialog, or exit the Motion panel. Paste—Puts the contents of the controller clipboard in the position above the selected controller. The clipboard is empty after pasting. Weight—Exaggerate or minimize the effects of a controller by increasing or decreasing its weight value. Default=100.0.
Look At Controller Y—Displays controller properties for Y axis rotation angle. 5. Rotate the dummy about its Y axis, and watch Z—Displays controller properties for Z axis As the target passes through the zenith and nadir of its orbit, the camera flips. rotation angle. Each axis uses its own independent controller using the float data type. For example, the X and Y rotation axes could use Bezier Float controllers, while the Z Rotation axis uses a Noise Float controller. Look At Controller the camera.
330 Chapter 12: Animation Delete Key—Deletes a position, roll (orientation), or scale key at the current frame, depending on which button you click. Pick Target—Lets you set a target other than the default Target object. Click this button, and then select the new object to use as a target. Thereafter, the new target controls the object’s orientation. The original target remains in the scene, and can be deleted or used as a Dummy helper. Axis—Specifies the local axis that looks at the target.
Motion Capture Controller 4. On the Editable Mesh > Soft Selection rollout, click Use Soft Selection. 5. Turn on Auto Key, and move the time slider to frame 10. 6. In the viewports, select and move some vertices on the sphere. A key appears on the track bar at frame 10. Motion Capture Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
332 Chapter 12: Animation 4. In the Utilities panel, access the Motion Capture utility. You can test and record your motion for any combination of tracks over any range of frames. 5. When you assign a Motion Capture controller, the previously assigned controller is maintained as a child of the Rotation controller. You can continue to adjust the rotation of the object using standard transform controls, while still making motion-capture control available.
Motion Capture Controller This rollout controls animation using the horizontal or vertical motion of the mouse. The available settings include: List—Open the list to select a key. Envelope Graph group motion drives the animation. The Envelope Graph group displays a representation of the amplitude curve over time. Scale—Scales the relative effect of the mouse Envelope Parameters group Horizontal/Vertical—Specifies which mouse movement to the animation response.
334 Chapter 12: Animation 1, 2, 3, 4—Specifies one of four buttons in the Sidewinder joystick. They work similarly to the Point-of-View Hat, except that each button increases a direction value only while pressed. When you release the button, the value returns to zero (centered). X, Y, Z—Specifies which joystick direction drives the animation. (Standard joysticks provide X and Y axes only. The Sidewinder provides the Z axis when you twist the joystick.
Motion Capture Controller Note: The items in this group are only available when Accumulate is selected in the Joystick Axis group. MIDI Device rollout Controller—Assigns a Rotation Motion Capture controller where the direction will be derived. Typically, this would be the Rotation controller of the camera you’re moving. Note: You can only use a Rotation Motion Capture controller here. Clear—Removes the assigned controller. Direction X/Y/Z—Specifies the local axis that will be used as the direction.
336 Chapter 12: Animation the Min value specified in the Parameter Scaling group. When the note is at the top of the range, the value takes on the Max value from the same group. Anything in between is interpolated between the Min and Max values. (Note that Min doesn’t have to be less than Max.) The generated value will slide around as different keys are pressed. The harder a key is pressed, the faster the value changes. Speed—Defines how fast the value changes as keys are pressed.
Noise Controller MIDI Note group The 11 Octave buttons let you select which octave you want to view. When a note is played in that octave, a corresponding progress bar lights up in the Note column. MIDI Controller—When using a different type of MIDI controller, such as a slider box, you can specify a note event, and then watch the corresponding progress bar light up when you activate that event.
338 Chapter 12: Animation 2. In the Motion panel > Parameters > Assign Controller rollout, select the rotation track in the list window. 3. Click Assign Controller. 4. Select Noise rotation from the list of controllers. The Noise Controller dialog automatically displays. 5. Play the animation. The box rotates randomly around all three axes.
On/Off Controller On/Off Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > On/Off Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > On/Off Procedure Example: To use the On/Off controller to control an object’s visibility: 1. Create a cylinder, and open Track View. 2.
340 Chapter 12: Animation Position XYZ Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a position track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Position XYZ 6. Click Assign Controller, and then select Noise Float. 7. Play the animation. The sphere moves around the keys that were created earlier. The random up and down movement in the Z axis is generated by the noise controller on the Z track.
PRS Controller PRS Controller Interface Motion panel > PRS Parameters rollout Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a transform track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Position/Rotation/Scale Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a transform track in the Track View hierarchy.
342 Chapter 12: Animation Reaction Controllers Reaction Controllers Track View > Highlight a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Assign a Reaction-type controller (e.g., Position Reaction). Select an object. > Motion panel > Assign Controller rollout > Highlight a track. > Click Assign Controller > Choose a Reaction-type controller (e.g., Position Reaction). You can use a Reaction controller to turn on a light as an object nears a given point. Muscles can bulge as an arm bone rotates.
Reaction Controllers 4. 5. The “Unassigned” text is replaced by a master track labeled “Box01 / X Position”. Go to the Motion panel, and on the Assign Controller rollout, click the Position track to highlight it. Also, a new state, State01, appears in the States list. On the Assign Controller rollout, click the Assign Controller button. 6. On the Assign Position Controller dialog, click Position Reaction to highlight it, and then click OK.
344 Chapter 12: Animation can change the sphere’s position using the Reaction Manager’s editing tools. 13. On the Reaction Manager dialog, click the Sphere01 / Position entry to highlight it, if necessary, and then click the Edit Mode button. 14. Position the sphere at (0,0,100). Over the first 50 frames, the sphere moves between the first two states, and over the second half of the animation, the sphere moves between the second and third states.
Reaction Manager Dialog Interface 2. In the Perspective viewport, add a box and a sphere object. Also add a Slider manipulator (page 2–30), and give it the label Slider. After assigning a Reaction controller, right-click the track and then choose Properties, or choose Animation > Reaction Manager, to open the Reaction Manager dialog (page 2–345).
346 Chapter 12: Animation 7. On the upper toolbar, click Add Slave, and then click the box in the Perspective viewport. 8. On the pop-up menu that appears, choose Transform > Position > X Position. In the Reactions list, the slave entry Box01 / X Position appears under the master entry. Also, a new state appears in the States list for the newly added slave track. This simply says that, when the slider value is 0, the box’s X position should be what it is currently.
Reaction Manager Dialog Note: Your value probably differs from that shown in the illustration. 22. In the Reactions (upper) list, click the Box01 / X Position entry to highlight it, and then move the box about -50 units on the X axis, to about X=-100. 16. Drag upward to increase the value, or downward to decrease the value. Change the value to about -50.0. Highlighting the slave entry lets you manipulate the slaved value interactively in the viewport while Create Mode is on.
348 Chapter 12: Animation 27. On the Modify panel, set Hemisphere to 0.75. 28. In the Perspective viewport, drag the slider all 32. the way to the right. 29. Click Create State. Reaction Manager adds a third state, State03, with the state (slider) value at 100.0 and the Sphere01 / Hemisphere value at 0.750. Click the Add Point button, and then click the middle of the graph curve (it’s the red, diagonal line). This adds a new point to the curve and a new state in the States list. 33.
Reaction Manager Dialog the graph. Each has its own toolbar or toolbars. Each list contains rows and columns; the column headings employ standard Windows functionality. To resize a column, drag the divider to the right of its heading, or auto-size a column to fit its widest entry by double-clicking the right-side heading divider.
350 Chapter 12: Animation right-click the highlighted “Unassigned” label, and then choose Replace Master from the context menu. Finally, choose the master track. Add Slave—Places you in Add Slave mode, letting you assign a slave track to the currently highlighted master in the Reactions list. Highlight a master and then click Add Slave. Click an object in a viewport, and then use the pop-up menu to choose an animation track to use as slave.
Reaction Manager Dialog in the States list, click the field to toggle the X. Available for slaves only. States list adjust values for the current reaction (master and slaves) in the viewports, and then click Create State. You can repeat this to create any number of new states quickly and efficiently.
352 Chapter 12: Animation As you manipulate the object, the value is updated immediately and the new value is displayed in the States list. If slaves in multiple states are highlighted, values are updated for those in the first state only. Set State—Updates the highlighted state (master track) to its current value. To use this option, highlight the master track in the Reactions list and the state in the States list.
Using Manipulators with Reaction Controllers dialog interface. To open the right-click menu, right-click anywhere on the Reaction Manager dialog except in the graph section. Set State—Updates the highlighted state (master track) to its current value. For details, see Set State. Add Master—Places you in Add Master mode. States list. Click an object in a viewport, and then use the pop-up menu to choose an animation track to use as master.
354 Chapter 12: Animation Tip: Use the reactor manipulators in a wireframe viewport. (See Viewport Right-Click Menu (page 3–774).) Also, for the Position Reaction controller, you might have to change viewports to see a particular manipulator clearly. The specific manipulators and their use are described below. Manipulators for Reactor Controllers Reaction controllers for position and rotation tracks have graphic manipulators to help you adjust their settings.
Scale XYZ Controller Scale XYZ Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a scale track in the Track View hierarchy > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Scale XYZ Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a scale track in the Track View hierarchy > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Scale XYZ Track View - Curve Editor opens with the sphere as the first item in the hierarchy. 3. In the Track View hierarchy, click the Scale track. 4.
356 Chapter 12: Animation Refer to the MAXScript Reference for a complete explanation of this scripting language. Script Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Script Graph Editors > Track View - Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
Script Controller you use the Script controller variable toolset to create variables to assign to any particular node or controller track. This way, if you decide to later on rename your scene objects, the script controllers using these objects are preserved because the variables maintain the link to the nodes. Otherwise, if you assign, for example, a node to a variable manually in the dialog’s Expression window, that link becomes broken as soon as you rename that particular node. pos / (objects.
358 Chapter 12: Animation Variable Parameters group Tick Offset—Specifies a time offset in ticks for the current variable. When the script is evaluated, the variable’s value is set from the current time plus the Tick Offset value. Note: The Time Offset has no effect on variables that are assigned a constant. Variables List—Lists all available variables in the controller.
Smooth Rotation Controller Smooth Rotation Controller Spring Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a rotation track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Smooth Rotation Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Spring Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a rotation track in the Track View hierarchy.
360 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Springs group When you assign a Spring controller to an object, its rollouts automatically appear in the Motion panel. In addition, the rollouts open in a floating dialog. If you close the dialog, you can reopen it by right-clicking the track in the Motion panel Assign Controller rollout or in the Track View hierarchy and choosing Properties, or clicking the Properties button on the Track View toolbar.
TCB Controllers make the solution more stiff, the dampening is increased to maintain system stability. Relative/Absolute—With Relative chosen, changing the Tension and Dampening settings causes the new settings to be added to the existing values. With Absolute chosen, the new settings replace the existing values. Calculation Parameters group Start Frame—The frame at which the Spring controller first takes effect. Default=0. Iterations—The accuracy of the controller application.
362 Chapter 12: Animation can change the parameters in the Key Info dialog and see the trajectory path change. This allows for very precise control of an object’s trajectory with visual feedback. Interface Euler XYZ is now the default rotation controller in 3ds Max. The TCB Rotation controller was the default rotation controller for files created in versions 4 and earlier. Tip: Euler XYZ behaves very differently than TCB rotations.
TCB Controllers The following descriptions refer to both the TCB graph and the function curve as the animation curve. Note: When you are changing the properties of a selection of multiple keys, the TCB graph is blank unless all properties are equal. Ease To—Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it approaches the key. Default=0. High Ease To causes the animation to decelerate as it approaches the key. The default setting causes no extra deceleration.
364 Chapter 12: Animation Transform Script Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a transform track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Transform Script Graph Editors > Track View - Curve Editor > Select a transform track in the Track View hierarchy.
Transform Script Controller Procedure Variable Parameters group To use a Transform Script controller: Tick Offset—Specifies a time offset in ticks for the current variable. When the script is evaluated, the variable’s value is set from the current time plus the Tick Offset value. 1. Select an object. 2. Right-click to open the quad menu. 3. In Transform quadrant, click Curve Editor. 4. Select the Transform track of the selected object in Track View. 5.
366 Chapter 12: Animation Cancel—Disregards the current value expression result and closes the dialog. Assign Track—Lets you assign a controller to the highlighted variable. The controller’s value is taken at the current time plus the variable’s Tick Offset. Assign Controller—Lets you assign a track to the highlighted variable. Waveform Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
Waveform Controller To use the Waveform controller to animate the radius of a sphere: Waveform group 1. Create a sphere. This group provides control parameters for the currently selected waveform. 2. Open Track View — Dope Sheet, and expand Tip: Using the Sphere example, you can observe the the Object (Sphere) track. 3. Select the Radius track, click Controller > Assign, and choose Waveform Float from the Assign Controller dialog. 4. Play the animation to see the effect.
368 Chapter 12: Animation Effect group Each waveform has an Effect parameter, which can be one of the following: Add—Causes the current waveform’s value to be added to the previous waveform’s output. This is the default. Multiply—Multiplies the previous waveform’s output by this waveform’s value. Clamp Above—Limits the previous waveform’s output to be above this waveform’s value. Clamp Below—Limits the previous waveform’s output to be below this waveform’s value.
Audio Controller Dialog Absolute Value—Controls the interpretation of sound amplitude. The value returned by the Audio controller is sample amplitude divided by maximum amplitude. Value=(sample amp.)/(maximum amp.) When Absolute Value is turned on, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum sampled amplitude from the waveform. This ensures that potential for the output value reaches the target value. When off, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum potential amplitude of the waveform.
370 Chapter 12: Animation Base Scale—Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z Interface values returned for an amplitude of 0.0. Target Scale—Defines the float value or X, Y, and Z values returned for maximum amplitude. Channel group With this group you select which channel drives the controller output value. These options are only available if you have chosen a stereo sound file. Left—Uses the left channel amplitude. Right—Uses the right channel amplitude.
Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog Select a Morph object > Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Right-click over a Morph key in the Dope Sheet. > Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Open Track View > Right-click over a Morph key in the Dope Sheet. > Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog You can change morph target weighting using controls in the Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog.
372 Chapter 12: Animation Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Global Tracks > Master Block > Right-click Master Block track. > Properties > Master Block Parameters dialog > Click Add. > Choose tracks in Track View Pick dialog > Click OK. > Block Parameters dialog Graph Editors > Track View - Curve Editor > Global Tracks > Master Block > Right-click Master Block track. > Properties > Master Block Parameters dialog > Click Add.
Master Track Key Info Dialog (Master Point Controller) Select the tracks (include the Master Block track), and then right-click Master Block in the Track View hierarchy. Interface Replace—Replaces the currently selected block. Remove—Remove the selected block from the list. Load—Loads a block from disk. Displays the Attach Controls dialog. Map incoming tracks to tracks in your scene using controls in the Attach Controls dialog. Save—Saves the current block to disk.
374 Chapter 12: Animation Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) Interface Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Right-click an object with Slave Track in the Track View hierarchy. > Slave Parameters dialog Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Right-click an object with Slave Track in the Track View hierarchy. > Slave Parameters dialog Every time you create a block, all tracks within the block are assigned a Slave controller, which allows the Master Block to transfer key data.
Animation Constraints Select tracks in the dialog that you want to include in a Block. Valid tracks are darker. Interface path constraint to restrict the airplane’s motion to a spline path. The constraint’s binding relationship with its targets can be animated on or off over a period of time.
376 Chapter 12: Animation • LookAt constraint (page 2–388) constrains an object’s orientation so that it’s always looking at another object • Orientation constraint (page 2–391) causes the rotation of the constrained object to follow the rotation of another object You can use Schematic View to see all the Constraint relationships in a scene.
Attachment Constraint The cone jumps to the top of the cylinder. As you drag the mouse, it jumps to whichever face you drag over. Attach To group 5. Release the mouse when the cone is on the top surface of the cylinder. Example continued: To adjust the position of the cone relative to the face: 1. Drag in the face display window to position the red x relative to the triangle representing the face.
378 Chapter 12: Animation Key Info group Current Key—Displays the current key number and lets you move to another key. Time—Displays the current frame, and lets you move the current key to a different frame. TCB group All of the items in this group are the same as in other TCB controllers (page 2–361). The orientation of the source object is also interpolated and affected by these settings.
Surface Constraint Surface Constraint Animation menu > Constraints > Surface Constraint Animation menu > Track View > New/Open Track View > Select a position track in Track View Hierarchy. > Track View toolbar > Assign Controller > Surface The parametric surface ignores Slice and Hemisphere options. So if the object is sliced, for example, the controlled object will position itself as if the missing portion were still there.
380 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Align to U—Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled The Surface Constraint Parameters rollout is on the Motion panel. object with the surface normal of the surface object, and the X axis with the U axis of the surface object. Align to V—Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled object with the surface normal of the surface object, and the X axis is aligned with the V axis of the surface object. Flip—Flips the alignment of the local Z axis of the controlled object.
Path Constraint Multiple Targets and Weighting A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets. Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value of 0 means the target has no influence.
382 Chapter 12: Animation To correct path constrained object flipping: Interface When an object is assigned a path constraint and the follow box is turned on, the object will rotate as it moves along the path. Sometimes the object is subject to unwanted flipping. 1. Select the object that is flipping. 2. On the Animation menu choose Constraints > Orientation constraint, then constrain the object to another object’s orientation. 3. Use the control object to adjust the flipping.
Path Constraint the Path Parameters rollout with the constraint settings, double-click Path Constraint in the list. Add Path—Adds a new spline path that influences the constrained object. Delete path—Removes a path from the target list. Once removing the path target, it will no longer influence the constrained object Weight—Assigns and animates weight values for each target. % Along Path—Sets the percent that the object is positioned along the path.
384 Chapter 12: Animation organic joint, or worn mechanical joint, moving or rotating freely in the middle of its range of motion but moving less freely at the extremes of its range. From and To Spinners—Determine for path limits. Use in conjunction with the Limited function. Damping—Applies resistance over a joint’s motion along the path. Simulates the natural effect of joint friction or inertia.
Position Constraint To edit weight values: 1. Select the constrained object. 2. On the Motion panel, on the Position list, double-click Position Constraint. The Position constraint parameters are located under the Position Constraint rollout. 3. Click a target from the list. 4. Adjust the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value for the weight value. To animate weight values: 1. Select the constrained object. 2.
386 Chapter 12: Animation Note: When you assign a Position constraint via the Animation menu, the software assigns a Position List controller to your object. In the Position List rollout list you will find Position Constraint. This is the actual Position Constraint controller. To view the Position Constraint rollout, double-click Position Constraint in the list. Add position target—Adds new target objects that influence the position constrained object. Delete position target—Removes targets.
Link Constraint 3. Select the sphere. Interface 4. Open the Motion panel. 5. Expand the Assign Controller rollout. 6. Select the Transform: Position/Rotation/Scale controller. 7. Click Assign Controller. 8. Choose Link Constraint. 9. In the Link Params rollout, click Link To World. 10. Move the time slider to frame 1. 11. Click Add Link and select the cylinder. It now becomes a target. The Link Constraint relationship is now active between the sphere and the cylinder. 12.
388 Chapter 12: Animation Start Time—The start time spinner is used to assign or edit the frame value of a target. Select one of the target object names in the list window and see the frame where the object becomes a parent. You can adjust the value to change when the link transfer takes place.
LookAt Constraint 0 causes the target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets’ Weight settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the influence of a target with a Weight value of 40. Procedures To assign a LookAt constraint: 1. Select the object you want to constrain. This is the object that will be always looking at its target. 2. Choose Animation menu > Constraints > LookAt Constraint. 3. Select the target object.
390 Chapter 12: Animation Interface and animate target weight values, and adjust other related parameters. Note: When you assign a LookAt constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds Max assigns a Rotation List controller to your object. In the list on the Rotation List rollout, you will find LookAt Constraint, which is the constraint you assigned. To view the LookAt Constraint rollout, double-click the LookAt Constraint entry in the list.
Orientation Constraint is on, the length of each target-specific line is determined by its target’s Weight setting and the Viewline Length value. If Viewline Length Absolute is off, the length of each line is determined by the distance between the constrained object and the respective target, as well as the Viewline Length value. An additional (main) viewline, whose length and color are determined as specified above, indicates the actual, calculated orientation.
392 Chapter 12: Animation An Orientation constraint causes an object’s orientation to follow the orientation of an object or averaged orientation of several objects. An Orientation Constrained object can be any rotatable object. When constrained it will inherit its rotation from a target object. Once constrained you can not rotate the object manually. You may move or scale the object as long as its not constrained in a manner that effects the object’s position or scale controller.
Wire Parameters Interface of influence that the world target has on the constrained object as you would any other target object. Delete Orientation Target—Remove targets. Once removing the target, it will no longer influence the constrained object. Weight—Assigns and animates weight values for each target. Keep Initial Offset—Preserves the original orientation of the constrained object. When you turn off Keep Initial Offset, the object adjusts itself to match the orientation of its target or targets.
394 Chapter 12: Animation to control one or more objects with a dummy object containing the desired parameters. Using wire parameters lets you set up object constraints directly without having to go to Track View and assign controllers. Parameter wiring is accessed from the Animation menu or the quad menus (page 3–741). The Wire Parameters command is only available if there is a singly selected node in the viewport.
Parameter Wiring Dialog A pop-up menu displays the parameters to which you can link. 5. Choose the parameter you want to link from the displayed menu. The Parameter Wiring dialog (page 2–395) opens. 6. Choose the desired parameters in the dialog, and click the direction buttons between the two panels to determine the control direction: one way or both directions (changes to either object’s selected parameters affect the other object). 7. Click Connect to complete the wiring.
396 Chapter 12: Animation 4. Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter. 5. Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box. 6. Click Connect. 7. Keeping the master parameter selected, choose You can repeat this cycle, continuing to alternate slaves to masters as many times as you like.
Parameter Wiring Dialog Note: If you open the Parameter Wiring dialog by wiring two parameters, the tree views will initially only display the selected objects, highlighting the parameters that were selected in the pop-up menus during the wiring procedure. If you want to expand the trees, to include all other animatable parameters in the scene, click Up To World. There are two buttons above the tree views: Show All Tracks—Brings you to the top of the scene object list.
398 Chapter 12: Animation expression. Since the wired pair can be animated through either parameter, the choice of master parameter is essentially just a convention. Transfer Expression boxes Underneath the parameter trees are the transfer expression text boxes. These expressions determine how changes to each parameter affect the other and are usually inverses of one another. For more information on expression syntax, see the topic “Script Controllers” in the MAXScript Reference.
Hierarchies One of the most useful tools in producing computer animation is the ability to link objects together to form a chain. By linking one object to another, you create a parent-child relationship. Transforms applied to the parent are also transmitted to child objects. A chain is also referred to as a hierarchy.
400 Chapter 12: Animation The strategy behind linking objects into a hierarchy can be reduced to two main principles: • The hierarchy follows a logical progression from parent to child. • Parent objects move less than their descendants. Within these two principles you have almost unlimited flexibility as to how you link your objects. If you think about how you intend to use the hierarchy, and link it with that use in mind, you will rarely have a problem. 1. Root 2. Leaves 3.
Linking Strategy Parents Move Less Than Descendants Because of the way transforms are inherited from parent to child, small adjustments to a parent object might require you to adjust all of its descendants. The typical approach to linking is to choose as your root object the object that moves the least. Objects close to the root should move very little, and leaf objects should move the most.
402 Chapter 12: Animation Linking Objects After Animation When you link an object to another, the link relationship between the child and its parent is determined by the position, rotation and scale of the parent and child objects when the link is made. Imagine linking a stationary sphere to an animated box. • At frame 0 the box is beside the sphere. • At frame 50 the box is 20 units away. 1 and 2 each represent the root of the characters. Both structures are suitable for forward kinematics.
Linking and Unlinking Objects • Unlink on frame 0, and the sphere stays at 12 o’clock. • Unlink on frame 25, and the sphere stops at 3 o’clock. • Unlink on frame 75, and the sphere stops at 9 o’clock. Left: Ball linked at frame 0 follows the box on the side. Right: Ball linked at frame 50 follows the box 20 units away. Unlinking Objects After Animation When you unlink a child, its frame 0 transforms are taken from the transforms of its parent at the frame when the link is removed.
404 Chapter 12: Animation Once objects are linked, any transformations applied to the parent are also applied to its children. For example, if you scale the parent to 150%, the size of its children and the distance between the children and the parent are also scaled by 150%. Unlinking Objects Click Unlink Selection to remove the link from selected objects to their parents. Any children of the selected object are unaffected.
Unlink Selection Affecting Pivot Only Unlink Selection Main toolbar > Unlink Selection Use the Unlink Selection button to remove the hierarchical relationship (page 3–1045) between two objects. Unlink Selection detaches a child object from its parent object. When Affect Pivot Only is on, move and rotate transforms are only applied to the pivot of a selected object. • Moving or rotating the pivot does not affect the object or its children.
406 Chapter 12: Animation Affect Object Only transforms the object without moving the pivot. After a hierarchy is created, you can scale the position of the children without changing the individual objects’ dimensions. Affecting Hierarchy Only When Affect Hierarchy Only is on, Rotate and Scale transforms are applied only to the links between objects and their children.
Viewing and Selecting Hierarchies Align to World—Rotates the object, or pivot, to align with the world coordinate system. Resetting the Pivot Click Reset Pivot to return the pivot point of a selected object to the position and orientation it held when the object was first created. Reset Pivot has no effect on the object or its children. The state of the Affect Pivot Only and Affect Object Only is ignored.
408 Chapter 12: Animation Selecting Hierarchy Members Once you have selected one or more objects in a hierarchy, you can select its direct ancestor or descendant with the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys. • PAGE UP deselects the object and selects the object’s parent. • PAGE DOWN deselects the object and selects all its immediate children, but not all descendants down the chain. Tip: These navigation commands are particularly useful when setting joint parameters for inverse kinematics.
Animating with Forward Kinematics scale animates the parent and the subtree attached to the parent. Animating a parent’s modifiers or creation parameters has no effect on its descendants. Rotating the parent affects the position and orientation of the child object. Moving the root parent moves the whole hierarchy. Rotating the child does not affect the parent. Links act as a one-way conduit to transmit the transforms of a parent object to its child object.
410 Chapter 12: Animation Moving the last child object does not affect any of the previous objects in the hierarchy. Manipulating the hierarchy of a leg. Consider the linked mannequin in the figure. If you want to position the mannequin’s right foot to rest on top of the soccer ball beside it, you perform the following steps: 1. Rotate the right thigh so the entire leg is above the soccer ball. Rotating a child object in the middle of the hierarchy affects all the descendants but none of the parents.
Using Dummy Objects Using Dummy Objects The primary use of dummy helper objects (page 2–15) is to assist in creating complex motions and building complex hierarchies. Because dummies are invisible when rendered, they are an excellent choice for offset joints, connectors between objects, and handles for complex hierarchies. Dummies and Points (page 2–22) can act as null objects that function as controls for transforming parts of an IK chain.
412 Chapter 12: Animation Selection buttons on the toolbar. (See Animation Constraints (page 2–375).) An example of using a link constraint is to pass a ball from one hand to another. Assume that at frame 0 the ball is in the first hand. The hands are animated to meet at frame 50 and then spread apart until frame 100. To animate the links for the ball: 1. On the Motion panel, assign a Link constraint as the ball’s Transform controller.
Adjusting Object Transforms Link to World You can also link an object to the world using the Link to World button. This will keep the object stationary without the use of a dummy object. Just click Link to World and the world is automatically entered as a Target. Key Modes You can choose between three different key modes, which determine how keyframes are written on the linked objects as part of the link constraint.
414 Chapter 12: Animation Consider a sphere with a radius of 20 units and a linked child object: 1. Use Uniform Scale to scale the sphere to 200%. The sphere and its child become twice as big. Scale Transform Type-In reports an Absolute Local Scale of 200% and the object’s creation parameters report a radius of 20 units. The true radius of the sphere is 200% of 20 units, or 40 units. 2. Select the sphere and click Reset Scale. The sphere and its child remain the same size.
Animating Attachment Animating Attachment You assign an Attachment constraint (page 2–376) to cause an object to hold a position on the surface of another object. The Attachment constraint is not a hierarchical link, but it has the effect of "linking" an object to the surface of another object as follows: • Attach a "source" object to the face of a "target" object so that the source object acts as if it’s glued to the target object, no matter how the surface of the target object is deformed.
416 Chapter 12: Animation Setting Link Inheritance Options Set the Inherit options to release the link components between a selected object and its parent for any world axis of Move, Rotate, or Scale. Link Inheritance (Selected) Utility Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > More button > Utilities dialog > Link Inheritance (Selected) The options that appear when you expand the Inherit rollout are determined by the transform controllers assigned to the selected object.
Inverse Kinematics (IK) Animating with Inverse Kinematics (IK) goal and the root, without keys being applied to the individual chain objects. With inverse kinematics you can quickly set up and animate complex motions. The basic procedure involves these tasks: • Building a model. It could be a jointed structure or many pieces or a single continuous surface. • Linking the jointed model together and defining pivot points, as described in Hierarchies (page 2–398).
418 Chapter 12: Animation These control objects can be linked together as well, or they can be controlled with constraints. You can also use parameter wiring to build relationships between these control objects. You can wire control objects to manipulator helpers (page 2–26) or to custom attributes (page 1–124), creating an easily accessible interface for your animatable model. You can add further controls to manipulate the elements in the middle of the chain.
IK Terminology use IK solvers. Not all of the following parameters are used by all the systems. IK Solvers—An IK solver applies an IK solution to a kinematic chain. The kinematic chain is composed of a bones system, or a set of linked objects. Joints—An IK joint controls how an object transforms with respect to its parent. You specify joint behavior with settings in three categories: • Object Pivot Point—The location of an object’s pivot point defines where joint motion is applied.
420 Chapter 12: Animation Bound Objects—Objects in your hierarchy can be bound to the world, or they can be bound to other objects called follow objects (page 3–1037). IK Methods Binding allows objects in your hierarchy to be influenced by objects that are not part of the hierarchy. Inverse kinematics builds on the concepts of hierarchical linking. To understand how IK works, you must first understand the principles of hierarchical linking and forward kinematics.
IK Solvers rotation keyframes on the bones or hierarchical objects themselves. Other IK Methods In addition to the IK solvers, 3ds Max provides two non–solver methods of inverse kinematic animation: Interactive IK and Applied IK. These IK methods do not apply an IK solver. Applied IK is fast and accurate, but it creates keys for every object in the kinematic chain, on every frame. The large number of keys can make it difficult to adjust the animation later.
422 Chapter 12: Animation and reposition the end effector to coincide with the goal. Using an IK solver to animate an arm Bones system with HI IK solver applied Each type of IK solver has its own behavior and workflow, as well as its own specialized controls and tools that display in the Hierarchy and Motion panels. IK solvers are plug-ins, so programmers can expand the software’s capabilities by customizing or writing their own IK solvers. 3ds Max ships with four different IK solvers.
IK Solvers to define a direction for rotation, so the elbow or knees bend correctly. • HD (History-Dependent) Solver (page 2–442) The HD Solver is a solver well-suited to use for animating machines, especially ones with sliding parts that require IK animation. It lets you set up joint limits and precedence. It has performance problems on long sequences, so ideally use it on short animation sequences. It is good for animating machines, especially ones with sliding parts.
424 Chapter 12: Animation A bones system is a jointed, hierarchical linkage of bone objects. Bones are used as an armature on to which objects are linked. If you use the skin modifier (page 1–781), you can "skin" an object to the bones, so the animation of the bones deforms the mesh that models a character. If you have a jointed character, you can use linkage or constraints so the bones animate the mesh. Animating bones with skin causes the skin to stretch or shrink.
IK Solvers These settings are found in the Link Display rollout on the Display panel. This can be useful if you have a geometrically intensive hierarchy to animate. The interactive viewport response will be much quicker when the geometry is hidden and displayed only at links. Advantages of Animating Bones with IK It is possible to animate a character’s motion through forward kinematics, rotating each limb into position from the shoulder to the fingers, and the hips to the toes.
426 Chapter 12: Animation of the two nodes. If you are using an IK Limb Solver, the IK goal will be placed two bones down from the highest node you’ve selected in the chain. the limbs. When a goal is selected, the IK panel is blank. HD Solver—Select the end effector of an HD IK You adjust IK solver settings in the Motion and Hierarchy panels: chain. In the Hierarchy panel, click IK. The controls that appear affect the HD Solver.
Animating with the HI IK Solver • Spline IK Solver for improved control of intricate, multiple-bone structures History-Independent (HI) IK 4. Click where you want the IK chain to end. If you are using the IK Limb Solver, you must apply the IK Solver to control only two bones. The IK solver appears in the viewport. To create a bones hierarchy that uses an IK solver: 1. Go to the Create panel, choose Systems, and click Bones. 2. In the IK Chain Assignment rollout, select an IK solver from the list. 3.
428 Chapter 12: Animation you want a goal at the far end of the bone, refine the bone where you want to goal to be placed. An extra bone will be added, and then choosing that bone allows you place the goal at the end. When you create bones, a small "nub" bone is automatically created at the end of the chain to assist in this process. Setting Up Multiple Chains To rig a skeleton for a human leg you could use three chains in one leg, as follows: • The first chain is created from the hip to the ankle.
Animating with the HI IK Solver Creating Control Objects To create control objects to animate the goals, create dummies, points, splines or other objects near the goal, then link the goal to the control object. For example in a human leg, you might have a goal at the ankle, ball of the foot, and the toe. You then create three splines under the foot, one for the heel, one for the ball and one for the toe. Link each goal to each spline, then you can animate the goals using these splines.
430 Chapter 12: Animation remain disconnected (hierarchically speaking) from the arm chain. You can create viewport sliders using the manipulator helper, and then use the viewport sliders to control the transforms of the control objects. Use wire parameters (page 2–393) to hook up the sliders with the control objects. You can also create Custom Attributes to add these sliders to the object rollouts.
White Paper: Swivel Angle of the HI IK Solver axis, the solver plane should be fixed. Therefore, the Zero Plane Map defines a vector field on a sphere. Given a point on the sphere, it produces a tangential unit vector to be interpreted as the normal to the zero plane. 1. Start joint 2. End effector 3. EE axis Solver Plane 1. Normal to the zero plane Let’s call the plane passing all the joints the Solver Plane.
432 Chapter 12: Animation The pose when all the joint angles assume preferred angles is particularly important. Let’s call it the preferred pose. We use the solver plane at the preferred pose as the horizontal plane. Since the swivel angle is used to control the start joint, the preferred angles at the start joint are not so intrinsic. It is also reasonable to define the horizontal plane with the solver plane that is derived by assigning zeroes to the start joint and preferred angles to the other joints.
White Paper: Swivel Angle of the HI IK Solver Normally, the preferred pose is the one when the solver is first assigned. So, the plane on which one lays the joints corresponds to the horizontal plane here. Rule A makes sure that the chain will stay on the plane if one moves the goal on the plane. Rule B means that, when you move the goal along the great circle vertical to the equator, the chain will stay vertical, except when it passes through the poles, which are the singular points of this map.
434 Chapter 12: Animation Example 3 This example describes what happened when Start Joint is reassigned. Suppose we have an IK chain of four bone nodes. The parent space of the IK chain contains a rotation when the IK solver is assigned. Parent A contains a rotation of 90 degrees. This is an abstraction of the case when a user creates four bones without an IK solver and later assigns an IK solver from Bone2 to Bone4.
IK Solver Rollout (HI Solver) see that Bone04 moves away from the neutral position defined by the preferred pose. The algorithm then applies the Zero Plane Map to find the normal at the displaced position. It generally is not perpendicular to the viewport. Therefore, we will see a flip once it takes a new Start Joint. The preferred angle can also be considered as the initial angle; that is, the angle at which the link was rotated at the time the solver was applied.
436 Chapter 12: Animation Procedures Interface To turn off IK on a chain: 1. Select the goal of a chain with an HI Solver. 2. In the Motion panel IK Solver rollout, turn off Enabled. IK is now off, so you can select and rotate any of the objects in the chain. Turning IK on and off is animatable using the Auto Key button. To mix IK and forward kinematics (FK) in a single animation track: 1. Apply an HI IK Solver to a hierarchy or bone system. 2.
IK Solver Properties Rollout (HI Solver) Enabled is turned off, the FK values are used. You can animate Enabled On and Off. Use this to turn off the chain control by the goal, when you want to do forward rotations. IK for FK Pose—Lets you turn on IK in middle of FK manipulation. When Enabled is off and IK for FK Pose is on, moving the goal will turn on IK automatically in the middle of an FK manipulation. The result of this is that all the FK subcontrollers receive values from the IK solution.
438 Chapter 12: Animation In the Parent Space group you can choose to whether the IK goal or the start joint will be used as the parent space for the swivel angle. If IK Goal is selected (which is the default), then the Swivel Angle of the chain is defined in the parent space of its goal. If Start Joint is chosen, then the Swivel Angle will be relative to the parent space of the start joint. These two options allow a much better control of the swivel angle on a chain with two HI IK solvers.
IK Display Options Rollout (HI Solver) 3. Play or render the animation. 4. You can also adjust the Position and Rotation Thresholds to a smaller value. information, see White Paper: Swivel Angle of the HI IK Solver (page 2–430). IK Goal—Defines the Swivel Angle parent space relative to the IK Goal. Interface Start Joint—Defines the Swivel Angle Parent Space relative to the Start Joint. Thresholds group Use to define the tolerances the system uses for its calculations.
440 Chapter 12: Animation effectors, the vector handle of the swivel angle manipulator, and the IK solver display itself, are all located in this rollout. Goal Display group Procedure Enabled—Turns the goals display on or off. To see multiple IK solvers in a single chain: Size—Controls the size of the goal gizmo in the viewport. 1. In a chain with multiple IK solvers, select a goal in the viewport. 2. In the IK Display Options rollout, turn on IK Solver Display Enabled. 3.
Sliding and Rotational Joints (HI Solver) direction a chain will bend, which angle a chain will tend to rotate toward. Note: Sliding joints are implemented in the HI Solver, but they do not take part in an IK solution. They do, however, take part during FK interactive manipulation. Use the HD Solver if you need to animate sliding joints with inverse kinematics. 2. Select any object in the chain. 3. On the Hierarchy panel > IK panel, open the Rotational Joint rollout. 4.
442 Chapter 12: Animation the object to its limit position. Use this to check the sliding limits on an object. History-Dependent (HD) IK Rotational Joints rollout Animating with the HD IK Solver Select a node of hierarchy or bone chain. > Animation menu > IK Solvers > HD Solver > Click a second node of chain. Animating with the HD Solver lets you use sliding joints combined with inverse kinematics. It has controls for spring back, damping, and precedence not found in the HI Solver.
Binding Objects (HD Solver) There are two reasons to link an end effector to a parent: near its limits and the bound object must move to complete the IK solution. • You can rescale your entire hierarchy.
444 Chapter 12: Animation Binding an Object to the World You can bind an object to the world if you want the object to hold its position and orientation as long as possible during IK operations. If you are animating a walking figure you want one foot to remain in place while you position the other foot. Without binding, the whole hierarchy would have a tendency to slide around when you attempt to position a foot.
HD Solver Motion Panel Rollouts • Calculations stop as soon as a valid solution is found, even if the maximum number of iterations have not been performed. parameters in Motion panel > Parameters to affect all the bones or objects in the hierarchy. • The last solution calculated is used if the maximum number of iterations is reached, regardless of whether the solution satisfies the position and rotation thresholds. Procedures See Animating with the HD IK Solver (page 2–442).
446 Chapter 12: Animation difficulty of the problem. This value simply puts a cap on it. Start Time and End Time—Species the range of frames in which IK is solved. If the Start Time is set to 20 and the End Time is set to 80 in a 100-frame animation, and then the end effector is animated, the animation of the chain will only be correctly solved within the Start and End range.
HD Solver Motion Panel Rollouts Manual—With this option, the IK problem is not End Effectors group solved until you click Update. Update—With Manual on, click to solve the IK solution. Display Joints group The options here affect the display of the joint axes and limits. When a rotational or sliding joint is active (Active is selected in the Sliding or Rotational Joints rollouts in Hierarchy > IK panels), an orange "rod" appears representing the active axis.
448 Chapter 12: Animation IK rotation, add a Rotation end effector, and then use the Rotate tool to rotate the end effector. End Effector Parent—Links an end effector to another object in the scene. Since end effectors are not, in themselves, objects, you won’t see this linkage in Track View, but the linked end effector will inherit the transformations of its parent. Note: Apart from the root object, you can’t link an end effector to an object in the hierarchy because it would create an endless loop.
Setting Joint Precedence (HD Solver) movement when you try to squeeze it against your upper arm or extend it all the way out. Ease simulates this effect. Damping Joint Action As a joint corrodes, dries out, or is put under a heavy load, it resists motion along its active axes. Damping simulates the natural effect of joint friction or inertia. Enter a value greater than zero in the Damping field to apply resistance over a joint’s full range of motion.
450 Chapter 12: Animation Precedence—Sets joint precedence manually. Child->Parent—Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from child to parent. Parent->Child—Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from parent to child. Determining Order of Calculations You control the HD IK solution by setting joint precedence to determine which joints contribute the most to the HD IK solution and which joints contribute the least.
Choosing Parent-to-Child Precedence (HD Solver) kinematic chain (default precedence uses the value of 0 for every object). Child >Parent precedence is more flexible if you want to go back and manually change precedence values. Each object receives a value equal to its depth from the root of the hierarchy times 10. Note that precedence value calculation is based on the root of the hierarchy whether or not the root is selected as part of the kinematic chain.
452 Chapter 12: Animation Setting Precedence Manually (HD Solver) Some models and animated motions don’t fit neatly into a Child->Parent or Parent->Child precedence. In such situations you can manually assign precedence values to any object in the IK chain on a joint-by-joint basis. For example: • Animating models with a combination of light, flexible joints and heavy, resisting joints. Imagine a model of heavy iron balls linked together with lengths of chain.
Terminating Chains (HD Solver) Terminator option in the Object Parameters rollout You use the Terminator option in the Object Parameters rollout to stop calculation of the kinematic chain before it reaches the root object of the hierarchy. A terminator object stops calculation at the terminator’s child object; the terminator itself is not affected by the IK solution. This gives you very precise control over the behavior of the kinematic chain.
454 Chapter 12: Animation placed at the pivot point of the bone that is two bones away from the first selected bone. The IK Limb solver works not only with bone hierarchies, but with any linked hierarchy that has at least three elements, and is set up to model a human limb. The additional requirements are: • The first joint is "spherical." That is, it has three degrees of freedom. • The second joint is "revolute," a robotics term that means it is based on a pin and has one degree of freedom.
Animating with the Spline IK Solver To animate an IK limb solver chain: 1. Apply the IK Limb solver to a two bone chain, Spline IK with joint limits as described above. 2. Select the goal. 3. Move or rotate the goal. Animating with the Spline IK Solver Interface Animation menu > IK Solvers > Spline IK Solver The Interface for the IK Limb solver is identical to that of the HI Solver. Create panel > Systems > Bones > Choose SplineIKSolver from the IK Solver list.
456 Chapter 12: Animation A helper object is automatically placed at each vertex when Spline IK is assigned. Each vertex is linked to its corresponding helper, so a vertex can be moved by moving the helper. Unlike the HI Solver, the Spline IK system does not use a goal. The positions of helpers/vertices in 3D space is the only factor that determines the shape of the linked structure. Note: Moving the Spline IK helpers to curl the spline can sometimes cause bones to rotate or flip unexpectedly.
Animating with the Spline IK Solver This procedure automatically draws the spline based on your dialog selections and sets up the Spline IK system to work with the spline. A position constraint is automatically assigned to the root bone to constraint it to the helper/vertex at that end of the spline. To apply a Spline IK solver to an existing bone structure: 1. Create a bone structure without an IK chain. 2. Draw a spline or NURBS curve to be used by the bones.
458 Chapter 12: Animation 5. Select the IK chain cross hairs and access the Motion panel. In the Spline IK Solver rollout, click Pick Shape and click the spline. With this method, the position constraint is not automatically assigned to the root bone, so it must be assigned manually. 6. Select the root bone. Choose Animation menu > Constraints > Position Constraint, and click the helper at the end of the spline that you want the root bone to follow.
Spline IK Solver Dialog effect on the bone structure. If the spline is moved, it will snap back to the helpers the next time a helper is moved. However, it is recommended that you not move the spline at all. Once you have finished setting up the spline IK solver, it can be helpful to freeze the spline to avoid accidentally moving it. Moving helpers changes the shape of the spline.
460 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Number of Spline Knots—Spline knots are similar to vertices on a spline, or control points and CVs on a NURBS curve. The spline or curve is altered by moving and animating the knots. The number of knots sets the degree of refinement on the curve as well as the number of points that can be selected and moved to change the shape of the curve. The Number of Spline Knots defaults to the number of bones in the Spline IK chain.
Spline IK Solver Rollouts Spline IK Solver Rollouts Select a Spline IK Solver control (the blue cross at the end of the chain) > Motion panel > Parameters button Bone Joints group Pick Start Joint—Picks the start joint for the Spline IK Solver and displays the object name. Pick End Joint—Picks the end joint for the Spline When a Spline IK chain is selected, the options on the Motion panel can be used to change the starting and ending bones, and twist angles for the entire linked structure.
462 Chapter 12: Animation IK Display Options rollout Goal Display group The options on this rollout set the display of twist manipulators and the IK chain object. Enabled—Turns on the display of the IK goal. Default=on. Size—Sets the size of the IK goal. Default=30.0. IK Solver Display group Enabled—Turns on the display of the IK chain object. Default=off.
Animating with Interactive IK a box. The box moves in a straight line over 100 frames. Turn the Auto Key button on and then in the Hierarchy panel > IK tab, turn on Interactive IK. Move the end effector of the IK structure to rest on top of the box at frame 100. The interpolated animation of the end effector follows a natural looking curved path. You might have expected the IK bone structure to follow the same path as the box. However, the IK solution is only calculated at the keyframes.
464 Chapter 12: Animation of the World will prevent you from transforming single objects in IK mode. Animating with Applied IK Select the end of a hierarchy > Hierarchy panel > IK > Set object parameters such as Bind to Follow Object > Apply IK. Applied IK requires you bind one or more parts of your IK structure to animated follow objects. Once bound, you can select any object in your kinematic chain and click Apply IK.
Setting Joint Parameters Clearing Keys from Previous Animation If you have animated any members of the IK chain interactively, or run Apply IK previously, the existing animation keys will affect the new IK solution. Sometimes that is exactly what you want. You can use manual animation to subtly nudge the IK solution toward a particular result. However, it is more likely that you want to remove old keys in order to begin the IK calculations with a clean slate.
466 Chapter 12: Animation Common Joint Types The most common joint types are Rotational and Sliding joints. Other common joint types are Path and Surface joints. Each joint type displays its own set of joint parameters. to appear as if it is part of the IK chain. You achieve this effect by linking the object using the path constraint and the path to the same parent. The path object should have no children, and other objects in the IK chain should be linked to the object using the path constraint.
Activating Joint Axes In the figure, the bead uses a path constraint to hold it to the ring. The IK chain from parent to child is Post->Cap->Bead->Handle. The ring is a child of the Cap but is not part of the IK chain. • A joint with all axes active can move and rotate freely, independent of its parent. Copying and Pasting Joint Parameters • The setting of IK joint axes overrides Inherit and Lock settings on the Link Info rollout.
468 Chapter 12: Animation Activating Rotational Joints active on a single axis. You rarely see a sliding joint active along all three axes. If a sliding joint is active along all three axes, it moves independently from its parent. It’s almost as if there is no joint connection at all. Tip: Use the HD IK Solver when you need to use sliding joints with IK. Path and Surface Joints 1.
Hierarchy Panel Commands You can also view joint limits in the viewport by pressing and holding the mouse button on the From or To label of a limit field. The object will move or rotate to the limit value until you release the mouse button. Limiting Rotational Joints Limits for a rotational joint define how far the object can rotate about its parent’s axes. The values in the From and To fields represent the rotation angle about the active axis measured from 0 degrees on the parent object.
470 Chapter 12: Animation Adjust Pivot Rollout (page 2–470) Pivot Adjust Transform Rollout (page 2–472) Make a selection in the viewport. > Hierarchy panel > Pivot button Adjust Pivot Rollout Make a selection in the viewport. > Hierarchy panel > Pivot button > Adjust Pivot rollout All objects have a pivot point. You can think of the pivot point as representing an object’s local center and local coordinate system.
Adjust Pivot Rollout Interface Alignment group Move/Rotate/Scale group The effect of these buttons depends on whether you chose Affect Pivot Only or Affect Object Only. They don’t apply to Affect Hierarchy Only. Each of the buttons in the Move/Rotate/Scale group box highlights when active. This determines which part of the object is affected by the three buttons in the Alignment area, as well as the Transform and Align commands on the Main toolbar.
472 Chapter 12: Animation Adjust Transform Rollout Interface Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > Pivot button > Adjust Transform rollout You can transform an object and its pivot without affecting its children using the buttons in Adjust Transform rollout. Adjusting an object’s transforms has no effect on any children linked to that object. Procedure To scale a parent without scaling the children: 1. Select the parent object in a hierarchy. Move/Rotate/Scale group 2.
IK is inherited by a child object in a hierarchy, it can result in an undesirable deformation in the child object. To correct for this, use Reset: Scale in the Adjust Transform rollout on an object before linking. You can view the scale values of the transformation matrix of a selected object. On the toolbar, turn on Scale, then right-click any of the three toolbar Transform buttons (Move, Rotate, or Scale). There is also a Reset XForm utility (page 1–418) to do the same tasks.
474 Chapter 12: Animation Procedure To create a terminator in any hierarchy or HD IK chain: 1. Select an object in any hierarchy or HD IK chain that you want to be the terminator. 2. In the Object Parameters rollout, turn on Terminator. The terminated objects will not move when you use Interactive, Applied, or HD IK animation. Interface establish a relative offset with Bind Position and Bind Orientation.
Position/Orientation/Bind to Follow Object (HD Solver) Use Weight to set the relative influence of multiple follow objects or end effectors, and thus their priority in solving the IK solution. The higher the relative Weight value, the higher the priority. Note: As you drag, a dotted line is drawn from the pivot point of the selected object to the cursor. When the cursor is over a valid follow object, it changes to a push-pin cursor. Release to set the follow object.
476 Chapter 12: Animation of multiple follow objects or end effectors and their priority in solving the IK solution. The higher the relative Weight value, the higher the priority. The Weight settings are relative; there’s no point in using them if there’s only one follow object or end effector in your IK hierarchy.
Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring Joint Parameters (HD Solver) 1. Select all objects in an HD IK chain. Child>Parent behaves like the default precedence settings but is more flexible if you want to go back and manually change the settings. 2. Open the Object Parameters rollout in the Parent->Child—Automatically sets joint precedence To assign Child->Parent precedence to all objects in a kinematic chain: Hierarchy panel. 3. Click Child>Parent.
478 Chapter 12: Animation 2. Set sliding or rotational joint parameters. 3. Click Copy in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the Object Parameters rollout. 4. Select a different object in the inverse kinematic chain. 5. Select an axis to mirror in the Mirror Paste group. 6. Click paste in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the Object Parameters rollout. Both Sliding Joints and Rotational Joints maintain separate clipboards.
Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver) axis. If you turn on Limited, specify limit values in the From and To fields. When setting limits, the object transforms to the position or rotation defined by the From or To field. When you exit the field or release the spinner, the object returns to its original position. You can also view joint limits in the viewport by pressing and holding the mouse button on the From or To label of a limit field.
480 Chapter 12: Animation Interactive and Applied IK Rollouts If you want to use Bones, be sure Assign to Children is not active when you create the Bones. 2. Select the end of the chain. 3. Go to the Hierarchy panel > IK button. Inverse Kinematics Rollout Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > IK > Inverse Kinematics rollout The Inverse Kinematics rollout displays different controls based on IK Solvers applied to the selected hierarchy.
Auto Termination Rollout (Interactive IK) Interactive IK— Allows for IK manipulation of hierarchies without applying an IK Solver or using a follow object. Apply IK—Calculates the IK solution for each 3. Select any object in an IK chain to move or rotate. Interface frame of the animation and creates transform keys for every object in the IK chain. A bar graph appears on the prompt line to indicate progress of the calculations.
482 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Interface The Link Info panel has two rollouts: Locks rollout (page 2–482): Locks an object’s ability to Move, Rotate, or Scale about any of its local axes. Inherit rollout (page 2–482): Limits what transforms a child inherits. X, Y, Z—Turn on any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Locks Rollout Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > Link Info button > Locks rollout The Locks rollout contains controls that prevent transforms along particular axes.
Track View Interface Sheet mode displays the animation as a spreadsheet of keys and ranges. Keys are color-coded for easy identification. Some of the functions in Track View, such as moving and deleting keys, are also available on the track bar near the time slider, which can be expanded to show curves as well. You can dock the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet windows beneath the viewports at the bottom of the interface, or use them as floating windows.
484 Chapter 12: Animation • Add sound to your scene. For more information, see Dope Sheet (page • Create and manage notes about the scene. 2–489). • Change the behavior of the animation outside the range of keys. To select keys in Track View (either mode), do any of the following: • Change controllers for animated parameters • Click the key to select an individual key. • Select objects, vertices, and hierarchies. • Drag a selection rectangle around keys to select multiple keys.
Working with Track View This should open the Track View in a new session over the right half of the desktop. Assuming that a dual monitor setup reports twice the width, this will force the Track View on the second monitor. On a single monitor, it opens it over the right half of the only monitor. Of course, you could enter your own numbers like pos:[1024,0] height:768 width:1024 in case you are running two monitors at 1024x768.
486 Chapter 12: Animation or collapse the list using manual navigation, or allow the Auto expand to determine the display in this window. The right side of Track View, called the Key window, charts the changes applied to parameters over time. Any change you make to one of these parameters when the Auto Key button is on, appears as a key in the right side of Track View. Select keys to apply changes to one or more specific keys.
Track View Workspace Key window The Key window displays the keys as either curves or tracks. The tracks can be displayed as a box graph of keys or range bars. Colored keys with subframe display Keys are also displayed on the track bar below the viewport. Keys displayed as box graph (Dope Sheet - Edit Keys mode) Key Creation Keys are created using a variety of methods. Keys can be created by turning on Auto Key, moving the time slider, and then transforming the object or adjusting its parameters.
488 Chapter 12: Animation Right-click the toolbar, choose Show Toolbars, and then select Range-Track View to access these tools. Time Ruler The time ruler measures time. Markings on the ruler reflect the settings in the Time Configuration dialog. Move the time ruler up to the keys for more accurate key placement. Keys displayed as range bars (Dope Sheet - Edit Ranges mode) Function Curves Time ruler Function Curves display the values of keys, and the interpolated values between keys, as a curve.
Curve Editor indicator, which you can move verticall to use as a reference point for scaling values. The Curve Editor interface consists of a menu bar, a toolbar, a Controller window, and a Key window. There is also a time ruler, and navigation and status tools at the bottom of the interface. You can loop or cycle your animation beyond its range by adding Parameter Curve Out-Of-Range Types from the Curve Editor, as well as by adding Multiplier or Ease Curve onto other animated tracks for added control.
490 Chapter 12: Animation Classical animation technique included the use of an exposure sheet, called an “X” sheet or a Dope Sheet. The Dope Sheet was a vertical chart that served as instructions to the camera operator. Dialogue and camera actions were indicated over a numbered list that represented each shot, which became a single photographed frame of the animated movie. The classical exposure sheet also included instructions for compositing the cel drawings of animated characters over backgrounds.
Dope Sheet Modify Subtree and Modify Child Keys When working in Dope Sheet, you can turn on or off Modify Subtree and Modify Child Keys. These let you automatically move the keys for the children, and/or the tracks for the subtree. If you experience a slowdown while working with Dope Sheet, try turning these off, and moving the keys manually instead. Modify Subtree is on by default in Dope Sheet, but off in Curve Editor.
492 Chapter 12: Animation Dope Sheet Toolbars (page 2–516) Select Time (page 2–543) Edit Ranges (page 2–550) • Select material or map icons when working in the Material Editor. • Select modifiers in Track View to navigate the modifier stack in the Modify panel.
Track View Controller Window The selected material becomes the active item in the Material Editor. This is one way to navigate and select a material for editing. To select and deselect item labels by clicking: 1. Select the first item by clicking its label. 2. Do one of the following to add or subtract from the selection: • Press SHIFT and click an item label to select all items between the item and the previously selected item.
494 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Global Tracks—Allows you to store controllers for global use. Using expression controllers, for example, you could point to a controller in the Global Tracks from several other tracks. By altering the expression in the Global Tracks, all of the other tracks are changed. By pasting an instance of a controller in Global Tracks to a number of other tracks, you can change many tracks by altering the controller in Global Tracks.
Hierarchy Right-Click Menu (Select a light, then open the Modify panel > Shadow Parameters rollout to toggle the Use Global Settings parameter). You can change shadow parameters for multiple lights simultaneously. Tracks include Map Size, Map Range, Map Bias, and Absolute Bias (page 2–1181). Scene Materials—Contains the definitions for all materials in the scene. It is empty until you begin assigning materials to objects.
496 Chapter 12: Animation properties, as well as tools for navigating, expanding and collapsing the Hierarchy list of the Controller window. Expand Objects—Expands only the object branch for all descendants of the selected object. The expanded branches are not selected. The Hierarchy right-click menu contains quick-access commands for expanding and collapsing the hierarchy. Tip: Use ALT+right-click with quad menu tools to expand and collapse selected tracks individually.
Hierarchy Right-Click Menu Collapse Tracks—Collapses all branches of the selected item. Collapse All—Collapses all branches for all descendants of the selected object. Auto Expand—Expands the Hierarchy list automatically based on submenu selection choices. Submenu choices are: Selected Objects Only, Transforms, XYZ Components, Limits, Keyable, Animated, Base Objects, Modifiers, Materials and Children. Expand Objects—Expands only the object branch for all descendants of the selected object.
498 Chapter 12: Animation Tip: You can also change tangency handles using the tools in the Key Tangents: Track View toolbar. Properties ( Track View Hierarchy) Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select an item in the Track View controller window > Hierarchy Right-click menu > Properties Graph Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor > Track View toolbar > Controller > Properties Right-click an animated object in the viewport. > Curve Editor > Right-click the Key window.
Sound Options Dialog edit the timing of an entire linked structure, group, or character. Procedure To drag the ranges and linked descendants of an object: 1. In the Dope Sheet Editor, click Edit Ranges. Modify Subtree is on by default. 2. Drag the World range bar or the Objects range bar. Sound Options Dialog Main toolbar > Curve Editor - Open > Select an item in the Track View Hierarchy and right-click.
500 Chapter 12: Animation 3. Turn on Real Time in the Time Configuration Active—Plays the beats during animation playback. dialog to hear the sound track when you play your animation. Interface Track View Menus Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Menu bar Graph Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor > Menu bar Audio group Choose Sound—Displays a file selector where you choose a sound file. Remove Sound—Deletes the waveform from Track View. Reload Sound—Reloads the last loaded file.
Modes Menu Keys—Adds, removes, slides, and scales keys. Also Sync Cursor Time (page 2–502) includes soft selection, align to cursor, and snap frame. See Keys Menu (page 2–509). Manual Navigation (page 2–502) Curves—Applies or removes Ease and Multiplier Auto Expand (page 2–502) curves. See Curves Menu (page 2–510). Auto Select (page 2–503) Utilities—Randomizes or creates out-of-range Auto Scroll (page 2–503) keys. Also selects keys by time and current value editor.
502 Chapter 12: Animation Keep this turned off when you are working in big files and moving large numbers of keys. Default=Off. In some circumstances, simply playing back an animation or dragging the time slider with Track View open, without editing keys, can cause performance issues. If you experience this, and Interactive Update is on, turn it off to improve playback performance.
Auto Select single click, choose Manual Navigation and the Auto Expand settings are disregarded. When you are working on a specific animation task, turn off the unnecessary options to focus the controller window on what you need to see. Note: The default auto-navigation setting for the Dope Sheet editor auto-expands only to the node track for the currently selected object.
504 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Selected—When this is on, the controller window automatically scrolls to move the viewport selection to the top of the controller window. Objects—When this is turned on, the controller window automatically scrolls to show all the objects in the scene in the controller window. Display Menu Track View > Curve Editor > Display menu Display is only available when Track View is in Curve Editor mode.
Show All Tangents Filters—provides controls to filter the display in Curve Editor. There are a wide range of options to show, hide and display. See Filters (page 2–519). the tracks you want to work with, and avoid keyframing other tracks. Red key icon means a track is keyable. Show All Tangents When the keyable icons are visible, click the red icon to turn off the track.
506 Chapter 12: Animation create a selection set of tracks for which you want to prevent animation. This can be for one or multiple objects Tip: You can hold down the SHIFT key to select a group of sequential tracks at once. Alternately you can hold down the ALT key to select all tracks at the same level as a given track at once. Note: If you select just a parent track such as Position, Controller > Keyable will toggle all of its sub-tracks, even if they’re not selected. 2.
Collapse Controller Collapse Controller— Converts procedural animation tracks to Bezier, Euler, Linear, or TCB keyframe controller tracks. Can also be used to convert any controller to these type of controllers. Allows for key reduction by using a Samples parameter. See Collapse Controller (page 2–507) Ignore Animation Range—Ignores the animation range for the selected controller track. When set, the track plays independently of its range and its background changes color.
508 Chapter 12: Animation 2. In the Curve Editor’s Controllers window, select the track you want to collapse. Then choose Controller > Collapse Controller from the Track View menu. The Collapse Controller dialog appears. 3. Change the Samples to specify the number of frames between keys. The default value of 1.0 creates a key for every other frame, which might be more than you want to work with. 4. Select the type of controller that you want the keys to use after collapsing.
Tracks Menu Tracks Menu Graph Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor > Tracks menu Graph Editors menu > Track View - Dope Sheet > Tracks menu Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Tracks menu There are two types of special tracks that can be accessed from the Tracks menu. Note Tracks—Lets you add or remove note tracks to your scene. Note tracks can be used for variety of purposes to add information to any track in Track View. See Add Note Track (page 2–530).
510 Chapter 12: Animation Tip: Keys are “soft-selected” across time only (horizontally). Falloff—Determines the distribution of the strength of the soft selection over the range of keys. Procedure To soft select keys in Track View: 1. In either Dope Sheet Edit keys mode or in the Function Curve Editor, select a single key in the middle of the animation curve or graph. 2. From the Keys menu, choose Use Soft Select. 3.
Utilities Menu when Track View is in Dope Sheet mode. The commands on the Time menu are available only when Edit Keys is on. If you are using Edit Ranges, these commands will not be accessible. If you are using Edit Keys, once you select a time range, the remainder of the time menu commands will become available for use. Select—Select a time range. Insert—Add blank periods of time into a selected range. Cut—Remove a time selection. Copy—Copy a time selection.
512 Chapter 12: Animation Current Value Editor—Provides transform type-in capability from within the Track View modes. Allows you to choose between absolute and relative value editing. The name of the controller appears above the axis choices. Controller window quad menu When the keys window is active you can draw curves, add keys, move keys and scale values. You can also reduce keys. This utility starts a floating Current Value window that works for either Dope Sheet – Edit keys mode or Curve Editor.
Curve Editor Toolbars You can add additional commands to these quad menus. You can customize the Track View quad menu the same as any other quad menu. Procedure Key Tools Toolbar Filter—Use this to determine what is displayed in the Controller window and the Key window. See Filters (page 2–519). To customize the Track view quad menu: 1. On the Customize menu choose Customize User Interface. 2.
514 Chapter 12: Animation Draw Curves—Use this to draw new curves, or revise existing ones by sketching directly on the function curve graph. See Draw Curves (page 2–558). Set Tangents to Linear—Sets key tangency to linear in, linear out, or both in and out, depending on your choice from the flyout. of keys in a track. See Reduce Keys (page 2–548). Set Tangents to Smooth—Sets key tangency to smooth. Use this to even up discontinuous motion.
Curve Editor Toolbars Show Tangents—Hides or displays tangent handles on the curves. Use this to hide the handles on individual curves. See Show Tangents (page 2–559). Show All Tangents—Hides or displays all tangent handles on the curves. Use this to hide the handles quickly when many keys are selected. See Show All Tangents (page 2–505). Lock Tangents—Locks the selection of multiple tangent handles, so you can then manipulate several handles at once.
516 Chapter 12: Animation Keys: Dope Sheet Toolbar Track Set List—Allows you to assign a name to the current track selection (referred to as a track set), and then later reselect those tracks by choosing the respective track set from the list. Also available in Dope Sheet mode. See Track Set List (page 2–567) for details. You can edit track set lists via the Edit Track Set button, which opens the Track Sets Editor dialog (page 2–568).
Dope Sheet Toolbars then Select Time to choose the time range. See Select Time (page 2–543). that you cannot inadvertently select something else. See Lock Selection (page 2–533). Delete Time—Removes selected time from the selected tracks. Cannot be applied globally to shorten the time segment. This removes keys but leaves “blank” frames behind. See Delete Time (page 2–543). Snap Frames—Restricts key movement to frames. Keys that are moved will always snap to frames when this is on.
518 Chapter 12: Animation Track Selection Toolbar Key Stats Toolbar Select By Name—Highlights filtered tracks in the Controller window based on the current field value. Also available in Curve Editor mode. See Select By Name (page 2–565) for details. Key Stats—Track View provides tools for the display and type-in transform of key values. Also available in Curve Editor mode. Tip: You can use commas (,) to include multiple names in your selection.
Ranges: Dope Sheet Toolbar track in the Controller window, then use Assign Controller to select a new one. Recouple Ranges—Resizes the range bar to fit the first and last key of the selected track. Delete Controller— Delete a controller from an object. The controller will be replaced with a default controller. Make Controller Unique—Changes an instanced controller to a unique controller. This lets you make changes to the controller without affecting any other object tracks.
520 Chapter 12: Animation This scene file is automatically loaded when you start the program. Procedures To position a selected object at the top of the Track View Hierarchy: 1. In a viewport, right-click a selected object. Procedure To choose filter options: • On the Track View toolbar, click Filters. • Choose any of the filter options from the dialog. Interface 2. From the right-click menu, choose Curve Editor or Dope Sheet.
Filters Dialog (Track View) All—Sets all Show check boxes to on. None—Sets all Show check boxes to off. Invert—Reverses the state of all Show check boxes. Hide by Controller Type group Animated Tracks—Displays only items that contain animation. When a parameter is animated, that parameter and items on all levels above it are considered to contain animation. Selected Objects—Displays only items for objects selected in the scene.
522 Chapter 12: Animation Function Curve Display group the toolbar and choose Show Toolbars > Controllers: Track View. Not all tracks can be copied and pasted. The basic restrictions for using Copy and Paste in Track View are: • Only a single selected item can be copied. • A copied item can only be pasted into another item of the same type. Check boxes in this group, when active, specify which transforms are suppressed, for which axis, and which RGB color values are suppressed.
Paste Controller The Paste dialog is displayed. Interface 5. Set the options in the Paste dialog, and click OK. The controller is pasted onto the selected object. Paste Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Highlight the track you want to paste to. > Controller menu > Paste. Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Highlight the controller track in the controller window.
524 Chapter 12: Animation of an object in your scene, the object can follow a spline using the Path constraint, react to any animated parameter using a Reaction controller, or move to the beat of music using the Audio controller. You can combine controllers with a List Controller. You can drive a single vertex or control point on a complex object by a variety of controllers. You can also assign controllers using the right-click menu in the Track View Controller window.
Assign Controller Linear Controller (page 2–325): Makes the function curves between each of the keyframes into straight lines. List Controller (page 2–326): Combines controllers. Link Constraint (page 2–386): Animates the transfer of hierarchical links from one object to another. You can, for example, have the same object passed from object to object. LookAt Constraint (page 2–388): Forces that Reaction Controller (page 2–342): Allows an object or parameter to react to another object or parameter.
526 Chapter 12: Animation • The existing animation values are recalculated to produce a similar animation with the new controller. For example, replacing Position XYZ with Bezier Position closely preserves the animation. • The existing animation values are discarded. For example, replacing Smooth Rotation with Noise Rotation discards the Smooth Rotation animation values. Interface Delete Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a deletable track in the Controller Window.
Respect Animation Range range. Choosing this option changes the track’s background color to purple. This setting is active by default on all new controller tracks (turn off the Override Parametric Controller Range By Default option in the Animation Preferences (page 3–868) to change it). However, controller tracks from older scenes are set to Respect Animation Range (page 2–527) to maintain their original behavior. Procedure Example: To set a controller track to ignore the animation range: 1.
528 Chapter 12: Animation Procedure To convert an instanced controller to a unique one: 1. Select an instanced controller. 9. Play the animation. Because Respect Animation Range is on, the sphere starts moving only when it is within the track’s animation range. 2. On the Controllers menu choose Make Unique, or press U on the keyboard. Tip: If you have instanced modifiers you can make them unique by choosing the modifier in the Modifier Stack, right-clicking and choosing Make Unique.
Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types 2. In the Curve Editor select the track you want to loop. 3. Interface Click Parameter Out-of-Range Types to select how your animation behaves outside the time covered by the range bar. 4. Choose the type of out of range type you want in the dialog, then close it and play the animation. The Curve editor will display the loop or cycle with a dotted line. Tip: You can create keys from the out of range type by using the Track View Utilities > Create Out of Range Keys.
530 Chapter 12: Animation Linear—Projects the animation value along a line tangent to the function curve at the end of the range. Use Linear when you want the animation to enter and leave the range at a constant velocity. Procedures To add a note track: 1. Relative Repeat—Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to create animations that build on each other as they repeat. 2.
Remove Note Track to the right of the note key. You should type a short one- or two-word description as the first line of your note. Press ENTER to start the body of the note. Press ENTER or click within the text field to start the body of the note. Close the note dialog with the X button at the top right corner of the note dialog. Procedure To delete a note track from items: 1. Highlight one or more note tracks in the Hierarchy list. 2. From the Tracks menu, choose Note Track > Remove.
532 Chapter 12: Animation To delete keys in Edit Keys mode: 1. Highlight the keys in the Key window. 2. Press DELETE on the keyboard to delete the selected keys. Snap Frames Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Keys menu > Snap Frames Graph Editor > Track View - Dope Sheet/Track View Curve Editor > Keys menu > Snap Frames With Snap Frames, all key and range bar positions that are changed are forced to absolute frame increments. This includes selection sets of multiple keys.
Lock Selection Lock Selection Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet> Highlight keys > Track View toolbar > Lock Selection Align to Cursor is available in Dope Sheet and Curve Editor modes. Align Keys to Cursor ignores the state of Snap Frames, and always uses the exact time set by the time slider. Keyboard > SPACEBAR Lock Selection toggles selection locking on and off. When a selection is locked you can’t inadvertently deselect or select anything else.
534 Chapter 12: Animation Note: In the Object Properties dialog, Rendering Control must be set to By Object in order to keyframe the Visibility using the spinner. Note: Right-click over an object in the viewports and select Properties to display the Object Properties dialog. Warning: An object without mapping coordinates that is invisible at frame 0 will not ask for UVW Map coordinates at render time. The warning will display at the frame that the object becomes visible.
Move Keys (Dope Sheet) Turn on Auto Key. 2. 3. Move the time slider to frame 10. This is the frame at which you’ll set the box to disappear. 4. Right-click the object and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. 5. In the General tab, set Visibility to 0, and then click OK. 6. Scrub the time slider. The box fades. This creates a visibility track in Track View and adds a key with a value of 0 to the track. 2.
536 Chapter 12: Animation Procedure To slide a selection of keys: 1. Click Slide Keys on the Track View toolbar. 2. Highlight one or more keys. Scale Keys - Time Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Scale Keys Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Keys menu > Scale Keys - Time Scale Keys - Time moves all selected keys proportionally toward or away from the current frame.
Add Keys (Dope Sheet) • Dragging toward shrinks the keys toward the current time. Shrinking the selection reduces time between the selected keys and accelerates that part of the animation. • Dragging through the current time reverses the keys and expands the keys away from the current time. Tip: You can type-in the Scale Value using the first field in the Key Stats: Track View toolbar. The scale percentage is displayed in the Show Selected Key Stats field as you drag the selection.
538 Chapter 12: Animation • A track with a parametric controller, such as Noise (page 2–337), displays a Properties dialog. You change the values in the Properties dialog to modify the behavior of the controller over its entire range. Access the Properties dialog through the controllers quad of the right-click menu, or on the Controller menu > Properties. The same dialog is also accessible through the Motion panel. You can also display the Key Info dialog by right-clicking a key in the Key window.
Randomize Keys Utility axis choices. This utility launches a floating Current Value window that works for either Dope Sheet — Edit keys mode or Curve Editor. It doesn’t work for Edit Ranges. Interface Procedure To select a Track View utility: 1. Open Curve Editor, and then from the Utilities menu, choose Track View Utilities. 2. In the Track View Utilities dialog, choose from the available utilities, and click OK.
540 Chapter 12: Animation Create Out of Range Keys Utility Interface Track View > Utilities menu > Track View Utilities > Create Out of Range Keys Create Out of Range Keys creates keys in the out-of-range time of a track when the out of range type is something other than Constant. It converts the specified out-of-range area to a keyed area that you can edit and adjust. This utility works both in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes. In Curve Editor mode, you must select the curve as well as the track.
Select Keys By Time Utility Select Keys By Time Utility Track View > Utilities menu > Track View Utilities > Select Keys by Time The Select Keys By Time utility lets you select keys within a specified start and end range of time. You can select a large range of time, which might be difficult to select using the mouse in the Track View Key window for example. This utility works in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet Edit Keys modes. Procedure To use Select Keys By Time: 1.
542 Chapter 12: Animation Interface In Edit Time mode, keys and range bars of your animation are there only for reference. You select blocks of time and then apply time-editing functions to your selection. Edit Time Mode Controls In Edit Time mode you can perform the following tasks for one or more tracks: Select Time (page 2–543) Delete Time (page 2–543) Absolute— Applies world space values to the keys. The numbers you enter are the numbers that are applied.
Select Time 5. Expand and activate the tracks you wish to alter. Procedure For example you could select the Z Position transform track of a bouncing Box object. To select time: 6. Drag a time segment out in the Key window. 1. In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller window to specify tracks for time editing. A tooltip displays the selected Start and End frame numbers interactively as you drag. This selects the time segment including any keys within it. 7.
544 Chapter 12: Animation 3. Click Delete Time. Keys in the specified time block are deleted, and any keys to the right of the block move leftward. Copy Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time menu > Copy Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Copy Time button Cut Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time menu > Cut Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block.
Paste Time Paste Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Cut or Copy Time > Specify a different time block. > Time menu > Paste Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Cut or Copy Time > Specify a different time block. > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Paste Time Use Paste Time to paste a block of time from the clipboard into one or more tracks.
546 Chapter 12: Animation Paste Relative—Adds the animation values in the clipboard to the current animation values. Use this method when you want to layer animation onto an existing effect. Insert Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Insert Time button Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time menu > Reverse Use Insert Time to interpose time into highlighted tracks.
Exclude Left End Point Procedure To scale time: 1. In the Dope Sheet Editor, on the Time: Dope Sheet toolbar, click Scale Time. 2. In the controller window, click item labels to highlight tracks for time editing. 3. Drag out a time block in the Key window, or use an existing block. 4. Move your cursor over the active time block in the Key window. The cursor changes to show you when you can scale. first or last key of the copied block to prevent keys from doubling up at the ends.
548 Chapter 12: Animation 3. Right-click an empty section of the toolbar 7. area and choose Show Toolbars > Extras: Dope Sheet. Click Paste Time. The Paste Time dialog appears. The Exclude Left End Point and Exclude Right End Point buttons appear. 8. In the dialog choose Paste Absolute or Paste Relative. For an animated loop choose Paste Absolute, then click OK. The time, including keys, is pasted. 4. 9. Play your animation to observe the effect.
Reduce Keys the case of applied inverse kinematics, the software generates a key on nearly every frame. Often, the same animation can be produced with fewer keys. Having fewer keys in a track makes it easier to change your animation. Reduce Keys analyzes the pattern of keys in a block of time and creates a new pattern of fewer keys that produces nearly the same animation. You specify how closely the new animation matches the original.
550 Chapter 12: Animation Edit Ranges Track View > Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Edit Ranges Edit Ranges displays all tracks as range bars. This mode is useful for quickly scaling and sliding complete animation tracks. • Drag the range bar of an animation track to change all animation in that track. • Drag range bars in higher-level tracks to change all animation in multiple tracks. Note: You cannot access individual key values in this mode.
Recouple Ranges Procedure To decouple a range bar from its keys: 2. 1. Right-click an empty area adjacent to the Dope 2. On the Track View toolbar, click Position Ranges. Sheet toolbar and choose Show Toolbars > Ranges: Dope Sheet. 3. Select one or more item labels in the Hierarchy On the Track View toolbar, click Position Ranges. 4. 3. In the Track View Key window, drag the entire range bar left or right of the keys, or drag either end of the range bar to make it longer or shorter than the keys.
552 Chapter 12: Animation • Map Coordinates containing the map XYZ and UVW coordinate offset, tiling, and angle settings. when the selected item is not a valid copy source or if multiple items are selected. • Map Parameters containing the parameters for a specific map type. Pasting Items • Objects, on levels below the transforms, containing creation parameters for an unmodified object. • Modified Object, containing modifiers applied to an object and the object-creation parameters.
Copying and Pasting Objects Copying and Pasting Objects In the Track View controller window you can use the Hierarchy list to copy and paste objects. This allows you to replace the geometry of one animated object with the geometry of another object. This is similar to the functionality provided by XRef objects and scenes where you have to option of defining proxy or stand-in objects.
554 Chapter 12: Animation • Copy modifiers between objects. Unlike pasting other items, modifiers do not replace the highlighted item when you click Paste. Instead, the pasted modifier is inserted above the selected item. Making Instance and Reference Controllers and Objects Unique You can convert instanced and referenced objects into unique objects by clicking Make Controller Unique on the Track View toolbar or by choosing Make Unique on the Controller menu.
Curve Editor Overview Highlighting a controller label displays keys for that item as vertices on the function curve. You can then highlight keys and change their values. You can add keys to function curves for tracks that are not yet animated. The curves appear as straight lines. When you add a key to a function curve, a controller is created for that track. Not all controller types display function curves.
556 Chapter 12: Animation 4. Navigate the controller window until you see the additional tracks, and then hold down the CTRL key and click them. The curves for all highlighted tracks are displayed together in the Key window. 3. Drag the highlighted keys to a new location, or press SHIFT and drag the highlighted keys to add copies at the new location. 4. Highlight another group of keys. 5. Press SHIFT+ALT, and drag the highlighted keys towards existing keys to replace them with copies.
Scale Values Procedure To scale a selection of keys horizontally: spatial adjustments, rather than temporal. To scale in time, use Scale Time (page 2–546) instead. 1. Right-click an animated object and choose Note: Scale Values is not available in Dope Sheet Curve Editor. 2. In the Hierarchy list, highlight a track. 3. Scrub the time slider (page 3–748) to the frame to use as the scale center. mode. Procedure To scale key values: 1.
558 Chapter 12: Animation simultaneously adds keys to the green Y curve and the blue Z curve. Tip: You can move an existing key while in Add Keys mode simply by dragging it. Adding Keys to a Multicurve Controller The value of each key is set by one of the following conditions: • Keys added between keys receive the interpolated value shown by the function curve at that location. • Keys added before the first or after the last key on the curve receive the same value as the nearest key.
Show Tangents Show Tangents Track View > Curve Editor > Curves: Track View Toolbar > Show Tangents button Show Tangents lets you view adjust the tangents of highlighted vertices in Curve Editor. Custom Tangent You can assign the Custom Tangent type to any controller that displays keys on a curve. Highlight the key on the curve and then click the Set Tangents To Custom icon on the Key Tangents: Track View toolbar to display the handle controls.
560 Chapter 12: Animation 2. Make sure Show Tangents is on. The toggle is located on the Track View toolbar. 3. Highlight the key on the function curve. Tangent handles appear on the highlighted keyframe. 4. Move one of the handles horizontally away from its key. Interface Show Tangents—Displays the tangents of highlighted vertices, whereupon you can adjust the tangents by dragging the handle endpoints. By holding down the SHIFT key, you can edit the tangents handles separately.
Remove Ease/Multiplier Curve Procedure To apply an ease curve or a multiplier curve: 1. In the Curve Editor Hierarchy list, highlight the tracks you wish to ease or intensify. Not all controller items can receive ease or multiplier curves. For example, the Path Constraint position controller cannot receive an ease or multiplier curve, but its subordinate Percent controller can. If the highlighted controller is incapable of receiving ease or multiplier curves, nothing happens when you apply the curve. 2.
562 Chapter 12: Animation 2. From the Curves menu choose On/Off. Interface If you also have the parent track selected (the transform that has the ease applied), you will see the difference in the curve when you turn the ease or multiplier off. Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types Track View > Curve Editor > Curves menu > Ease Curve Out-of Range Types Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types displays a dialog that lets you assign out-of-range types for the current ease curve (page 3–1025).
Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types Identity—Projects the ease curve along a line with a slope of 1.0 from either end of the range. This causes time to flow at a normal, constant rate outside the range of the ease curve. Use Identity when you want the ease curve to be a localized, non-repeating effect. • Click the right arrow button below an out-of-range type to apply it to only the outgoing curve of the multiplier curve.
564 Chapter 12: Animation Relative Repeat—Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to create animations that build on each other as they repeat. 4. In the Hierarchy list, click the X Position track icon. Now only the red X Position curve is visible. 5. From the Display menu, choose Show Non-Selected Curves. The other two curves reappear, and are editable.
Zoom Selected Object Track Selection: Track View Toolbar Zoom Selected Object (page 2–565) Hierarchy list is placed at the top of the list. If no objects are selected, nothing happens. This function works only on object tracks. Select By Name (Track View) (page 2–565) Track Set List (page 2–567) Procedure Track Sets Editor Dialog (page 2–568) To place the selected object at the top of the Hierarchy list: Key Stats: Track View Toolbar 1. Select an object in the viewports.
566 Chapter 12: Animation Example: To highlight and display Position tracks for three objects: 1. Create three boxes. By default, the boxes are named Box01, Box02, and Box03. 2. On the main toolbar, click Curve Editor (Open). 3. In the Track View Hierarchy list, expand the hierarchies for the three box objects. 4. In the Select By Name field, type (Box*)p. All the Position tracks are highlighted. 5. On the Track View toolbar, right-click Filters and choose Selected Tracks Only in the dialog.
Track Set List Track Set List Procedures To assign a name to a track set: Main toolbar > Curve Editor> Curve Editor Track Selection toolbar 1. Highlight one or more tracks in the Track View Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Modes menu > Dope Sheet > Dope Sheet Track Selection toolbar 2. Click in the Track Set List field on the Track Controller window. View toolbar (page 2–513).
568 Chapter 12: Animation To edit track sets; • On the Track View toolbar, click Edit Track Set to display the Track Sets Editor dialog (page 2–568). Track Sets Editor Dialog 4. Curve Editor Track Selection toolbar > Edit Track Set Expand the new track set. A new track set appears containing your selected tracks. The Track Sets Editor dialog is a modeless dialog (page 3–1067) that lets you create and edit animation track groups called track sets.
Track Sets Editor Dialog To locate tracks in the Track V iew or the Track Sets Editor: This procedure is a continuation of the previous procedures and explains how you can use the Track Sets Editor to quickly locate your tracks in the Hierarchy list and vice-versa. This is useful for managing scenes comprised of many tracks that span across multiple track sets. 1. Create two track sets each containing tracks. Interface Make sure one track is common to both track sets. 2.
570 Chapter 12: Animation Key Time Display Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Key Stats: Track View toolbar > Key Time Display (field on left) A track set created from a non-leaf parent track contains all children leaf tracks. Note: If no tracks are highlighted, an empty set is created. Delete Track Sets Or Tracks—Removes a highlighted track set or track set member. Note: Deleting a track set member does not delete it in the Track View.
Value Display Selected keys are incremented by 10 frames. Show Selected Key Statistics Value Display Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Key Stats: Track View toolbar > Value Display (field on right) Value Display (the field on the right) displays the value, or position in space, of a highlighted key. This is an editable field. You can enter a new number or expression to change the value of selected keys.
572 Chapter 12: Animation The active time segment (lighter background color) is centered in the Key window. Drag horizontally in all modes to slide the view forward and backward in time. Drag vertically to slide the view up and down in value. Interface Zooming and Panning with a wheel mouse You can use the wheel on a wheel mouse to zoom and pan the Track View Key window. Drag with the wheel to pan, and roll the wheel to zoom.
Zoom Track View Key Window 2. On the Track View status bar, click Zoom Value Extents. The Key window scales vertically to display the function curves. This is particularly useful if you are zoomed in and need to see all the keys again. There is no undo for view changes that occur in the Key window, so the Zoom Extents button can serve the function of resetting your view.
574 Chapter 12: Animation choose these by name from the Graph Editors > Zoom Region ( Track View) Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Navigation: Track View toolbar > Zoom Region Zoom Region lets you drag a region in the Key window to scale that region to fill the window. Zoom Region remains active until you right-click to cancel or click another option. The Zoom Region button is yellow while active. In Curve Editor mode, both time and value are scaled to fit the Key window.
Delete Track View Dialog Delete Track View Dialog Graph Editors menu > Delete Track View Saved Track Views Graph Editors menu > Saved Track Views > Choose the named Track View from the list. The Delete Track View dialog lets you delete one or more stored Track View (page 2–483) windows by choosing their names from a list. Saved Track View lets you recall various Track View windows that you save by naming them.
576 Chapter 12: Animation show the menu bar, scroll bars, the controller and keys windows, and the time ruler. Menu Bar A customized Track View user interface: 1. Toolbar docked left The menu bar gives access to most of the tools also found on the toolbars. The menu bar can be displayed or hidden in the Curve Editor, Dope Sheet, or track bar. The menu bar is context-sensitive, so it changes its display depending on which Track View mode is active. 2. Menu bar 3.
Track View Customization paste, assign, delete, and make controllers unique (page 2–518). This option is also The Curve Editor toolbars that you can display or hide, dock or float, from the right-click menu include the following: available in Dope Sheet mode. • • Name toolbar—Enter a name in this field to create a named Track View window. You can recall the saved Track View window by choosing Graph Editors menu > Saved Track View (page 2–575) submenu. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode.
578 Chapter 12: Animation above for the Curve Editor, you can also choose to display the following: • Keys—Dope Sheet displays the tools to move, add, and scale keys (page 2–516), the Filters button (page 2–519), and the buttons that let you choose between Edit Keys (page 2–531) and Edit Ranges (page 2–550) options for Dope Sheet. you choose Keys menu > Use Soft Select, then choose Soft Selection Settings (page 2–510), the Soft Selection Settings toolbar is displayed.
Track View Toolbar Right-Click Menu To save a Track View window: You can save a particular Track View window, displaying to a particular set of tracks, by using the Name: Track View toolbar. • Enter the name for the window in the Name field. When you close the window, you can reload it by choosing Graph Editors > Saved Track Views. Then choose the named window from the list. Tip: Named Track View windows are saved with a file. Named layouts are independent of the file.
580 Chapter 12: Animation You can float toolbars anywhere you like. You can also drag the double bars at the left of the toolbar to float the toolbar over the viewport. • Hide—Turns off the display of the selected user interface element. Once something is hidden, you can redisplay it using Show UI Element or Show Toolbar on this menu. Motion Mixer Understanding the Motion Mixer The Motion Mixer allows you to mix motions for any biped or non-biped objects.
Working with the Motion Mixer You can also use the Motion Mixer to animate some body parts with one set of clips, and other body parts with other motions. For example, suppose you have two clips, one where the biped runs with its arms pumping by its sides, and another where the biped stands and cheers with its arms in the air. You can mix the leg and hip motions from the running motion with the arms from the cheering motion to make an animation of a biped cheering as he runs across a finish line.
582 Chapter 12: Animation the motion flow system (page 2–878). The optimization feature can automatically find the best timing for a transition between two clips. When you make a transition between foot-based clips (clips where IK constraints keep the feet planted at certain times), you can cause the transition to focus on one foot or the other. See Working with Transitions (page 2–592).
Adding Tracks to the Mixer the simulation. The Motion Mixer does not generate motion for biped crowds. • A Motion Flow network can be used to randomly generate different motion scripts for one or more bipeds. This feature is not available in the Motion Mixer. Use the Motion Mixer when you want to create a specific animation for an object from several clips, or you want to specify that some motions be applied only to specific body parts.
584 Chapter 12: Animation a biped is selected while you open the Mixer, but you’ll probably need more to hold all the motions you want to use with your mixed objects. When you open the Mixer while a biped is selected, a trackgroup (page 3–1118), a clip track, and a balance track (page 3–1008) are assigned to that biped. If a non-biped object is selected, the Mixer opens empty. Layer track Transition—A tall track with room for two rows of clips.
Importing Clips to the Mixer 2. From the Max Objects To Mix dialog, choose the object(s) you want to add to the Motion Mixer. Tip: You can save time if you first select your objects, and then open the dialog. This way, the objects are automatically highlighted. 3. Enter a mix name or leave the default one. To convert a clip track from one type to another: • Right-click an existing track, and choose one of the options from the pop-up menu for converting tracks.
586 Chapter 12: Animation the Mixer display to the extent of clips in the Mixer, click Set Range on the Motion Mixer toolbar. Preparing BIP and XAF Files To use a motion file with the Motion Mixer, it must first be saved as either a BIP or XAF file. Many BIP files come with 3ds Max; you can use these, or you can make your own. To find out how to create your own BIP files, see Loading and Saving BIP Animation (page 2–774). For more information of XAF files, see Saving and Loading Animation (page 3–477).
Importing Clips to the Mixer Instanced clips are displayed with the same numbers, while adaptations receive sequential numbers. For example, if you clone a clip with the number 1 to a track for the same object, the new clip’s name will also be followed by the number 1. If you clone the clip to a object with a different size, the new clip will be an adaptation, and the displayed name will be followed an incremental number (in this case, the number 2).
588 Chapter 12: Animation To see the motions in the Motion Mixer on the biped in the scene: 2. 1. Select the biped for which you want to see the current motion from the Motion Mixer. Click Slide Clips on the Motion Mixer toolbar. 3. Move the selected clips to slide clips to the left or right. 2. Click Mixer Mode on the Biped rollout. When you slide a selected clip to the right, all unselected clips to the right of the clip move to the right.
Filtering Mixer Tracks 1. Make sure there’s enough space on the track where you want to place the cloned clips. Move clips as necessary to make room. 2. Select the clip(s) you want to clone. There are two steps involved in filtering with trackgroups: • Create additional trackgroups as needed in the Mixer. 3. Hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and drag the selected clips to the new location.
590 Chapter 12: Animation Trackgroups for Spine, Legs and Arms. The Arms trackgroup has two tracks. Note: Create only one trackgroup for each filtered set of body parts. For example, don’t use two trackgroups that both filter the spine. If you do so, the trackgroup highest in the Motion Mixer is used, and the other trackgroup is ignored. Instead, use multiple tracks within the trackgroup to achieve the animation you want. Procedures To add a new trackgroup for the biped: 1.
Adjusting Clip Timing To filter and name a trackgroup: 1. Highlight the trackgroup label at the upper left corner of the trackgroup you want to filter. By default, the trackgroup label is All, denoting that the trackgroup currently affects all biped parts. 2. From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Trackgroups > Filter. The Trackgroup Filter dialog appears. By default, all body parts are selected. 5. Click OK to close the dialog. The new trackgroup name appears at the upper left of the track display. 3.
592 Chapter 12: Animation When changing clip timing, it can be helpful to display start and end frame numbers and the clip time scale. To do this, click Preferences on the Motion Mixer and choose the appropriate options in the Mixer Preferences dialog (page 2–628). As you choose options, the Motion Mixer display is changed interactively. Tip: At any time, you can view original clip Tip: Procedures To change the length of a clip without changing its speed: 1.
Working with Transitions The Motion Mixer will allow you to extend a transition into an area where two clips do not overlap. However, this transition will most likely result in undesirable motion in the mix. Clips and transitions on Transition track. Transitions are shown as dark areas between clips. To learn how to create a transition track, see Adding Tracks to the Mixer (page 2–583).
594 Chapter 12: Animation Using Transition Brackets On a transition track, transition brackets appear around each transition, and at the start or end of each clip that is not surrounded by a transition. a biped, or 3ds Maxobjects such as a rigged character. Foot-Based Transitions with Biped For the most natural transitions between foot-based motions, follow this workflow: • Find a good place to start and end the transition. • Create the transition with this timing.
Working with Transitions Foot-Based Transitions with 3ds Max Objects 1. Create a transition between clips at For foot-based motions, follow this overall workflow: 2. Right-click the transition and choose Optimize approximately the right location on the track. from the pop-up menu. • Find a good place to start and end the transition. The Transition Optimization dialog (page 2–618) appears. • Create the transition with this timing. 3.
596 Chapter 12: Animation to bring the yellow and red skeletons closer together on a planted foot. Note: Transitions involving planted feet often result in one or both feet sliding when they should stay planted. After setting up the transition, you can correct this problem with a mixdown. See Exporting Animation to the Biped (page 2–601). Adjusting Track Weight Each track has one or more weight curves (page 3–1127) that you can use to mix motion from several tracks to varying degrees.
Adding Time Warps 3. For the topmost track in the trackgroup, click Weight Mode to the right of the track display. The weight curve turns red to indicate it can be edited. You have to do the next two steps only if the weight curve has no nodes, or would like to create more nodes. 4. Move the cursor over the line until a small arrow appears. Click to set a node. 5. Move the cursor and click to set more nodes on the weight curve.
598 Chapter 12: Animation With a time warp, you will cause the motion to occur at the desired frame by moving the original time to the warped time within the clip. To warp a clip’s time: 1. In the Motion Mixer, zoom in on the original time for the time warp. This is the frame number you noted in step 2 of the previous procedure. 2. In the Motion Mixer, select the clip. 3. From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Clips > Add Time Warp. The appearance of the clip does not change when a time warp is added. 4.
Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer When Editable Time Warps is turned off, the bars and the dashed line between them remain displayed on a clip to indicate it has been time-warped. The lengths of the dashed lines change to indicate the new timing. Where lines are shorter, the motion will play faster. Where lines are longer, the motion will slow down. 9. Select and move the bottom bar to change the original time. Either bar can be moved to change the effect of the time warp.
600 Chapter 12: Animation is intended to make the biped’s motion look as natural as possible. In the Mixer, you can control the degree of automatic balance compensation using the balance track. One balance track is automatically created for each biped as it is added to the Mixer. 2. Filter one trackgroup to use motion only from the spine, arms and head. See Filtering Mixer Tracks (page 2–589). This trackgroup will hold the upper body motion. 3.
Exporting Animation to the Biped lower body motion. Values between 0.0 and 1.0 will adjust the balance to some degree. To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine: The values on the Balance Parameters dialog can be used to make subtle adjustments to the biped’s balance. 1. In the Motion Mixer, select the biped by clicking its name at the upper left corner of its trackgroups. 2. From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Mix > Balance Parameters. The Balance Parameters dialog appears. 3.
602 Chapter 12: Animation A mixdown can correct two types of problems during transitions between foot-based motions: • A foot sliding as it transitions from one planted motion to another. • A leg extending completely straight (hyper-extending) unnaturally to reach a planted position. The mixdown options on the Mixer Preferences dialog (page 2–628) can help correct these problems. To access this dialog, click Preferences on the Motion Mixer toolbar.
Using the Reservoir The mix from the Motion Mixer is visible on the biped in viewports even though the biped is no longer in Mixer mode. 7. To save the animation as a BIP file, click Save File on the Biped rollout. To save Motion Mixer data to a MIX file: A MIX file saves the current state of the Motion Mixer data for a selected biped, including all clips, transitions, trims, scaling and time warps. It is not necessary to collapse clips before saving a MIX file.
604 Chapter 12: Animation Saving Clip Adaptations The Reservoir lets you save a unique version of an adapted clip to a new BIP file. This new file will contain the new biped’s size data, so will not have to be adapted when it is loaded into the Mixer. If you are mixing long BIP files on a biped of a size other than the size used to create the BIP file, when you reload the MAX file or load a MIX file, you might have to wait while the Mixer recalculates the adaptation for the biped.
Motion Mixer Window group, you can save the source or any combination of clips, but not both. Optionally turn on Reset Names After Saving. 3. Click Save to save the specified items. To remove clips not used in the Motion Mixer from the Reservoir: If you delete all instances of a clip from the Motion Mixer, it appears in the Reservoir with a Refs value of 0. • own mix, there can be several mixes in the Motion Mixer at any given time. A mix can be saved as a MIX file (page 3–1067).
606 Chapter 12: Animation Motion Mixer Menus Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer Track Color...—Allows you to change the color of the clips in the selected object’s mixes. Choosing this command displays a Color Selector, where you can specify the clip color. Graph Editors menu > Motion Mixer... The Motion Mixer interface contains five menus located at the top of Motion Mixer window.
Motion Mixer Menus spine link is not rotated at all so arm motion will be preserved. Delete Mixdown—Removes the mixdown from the mix of the selected biped(s). In order for this setting to affect spine rotation, the lower body motion must have some spine animation as part of the motion clip. The next three menu options are mutually exclusive; only one can be turned on at a time. A Propagation setting above 0.
608 Chapter 12: Animation The Trackgroup Filter dialog for biped object mixes. The Trackgroup Filter dialog for non-biped object mixes. Add Trackgroup Above—Adds new trackgroups above the currently selected ones. Add Trackgroup Below—Adds new trackgroups below the currently selected ones. Add Layer Track—Adds a Layer track at the top of the selected trackgroups. Layer tracks hold clips to be mixed without transitions. Add Transition Track—Adds a Transition track at the top of the selected trackgroups.
Motion Mixer Menus Clips in Transition tracks will automatically spawn transitions when they overlap. should be resaved. Until the BIP file is resaved, it will not display in the Motion Preview. Delete All Clips—Clears the selected trackgroups of all clips and transitions. New Clips > From Reservoir—Opens a Reservoir Files dialog where you can choose one or more BIP or XAF files listed in the Reservoir. Delete—Clears the selected trackgroups from the Motion Mixer.
610 Chapter 12: Animation Remove Time Warp—Removes the ability for clips to be Time Warped and removes any existing Time Warping from selected clips. Tile V iew—Tiles the selected clip along the width of the Motion Mixer. The number of duplicated clips depends upon the clip’s length and the number of frames displayed across the Motion Mixer. For example, if a clip is 100 frames long and the number of frames across the Motion Mixer is 500, the clip will tile five times.
Mixer Clip Source Options Dialog before you created the loopable clip. If you tile the loopable clip after you create it, it should loop perfectly. Interface This dialog is only available for biped object mixes. Note: Motion Mixer Dialogs Mixer Clip Source Options Dialog Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer > Select clip(s). > Motion Mixer menu bar > Clips > Load Source > From File Select non-biped clip(s).
612 Chapter 12: Animation Remove Weights—Removes any existing weight curves from clips selected to be replaced. Remove Warps—Removes any existing time warps from clips selected to be replaced. Copy Biped Animation to Clip Dialog Select a biped.
Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Biped Object) Interface Remove Warps—Removes any existing time warps from clips selected to be replaced. Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Biped Object) Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer > Motion Mixer menu bar > Transitions > Edit The Mixer Transition Editor controls transitions (page 3–1121) on transition tracks (page 3–1121).
614 Chapter 12: Animation Ease Out—Ease-out value for the destination clip. Transition Focus—Lets you specify a focus point on the biped where the transition takes place. The Mixer will attempt to match movement based on this selection. For example, if Left Foot is selected, the transition will use the left foot as a focal point during the transition, aligning the motion of the left foot in both clips as much as possible during the transition. Default=Auto.
Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Non-Biped Object) transition. For the destination clip, this option freezes the biped at the End Frame position. If Fixes is chosen for both the source and destination clips, the transition is a gradual interpolation from one frozen pose to another. objects are changeable from clip to clip, and any new transition that results from cloning or adding clips initially uses the blend options from the last clip in time.
616 Chapter 12: Animation Interface If Fixed is chosen for both the source and destination clips, the transition is a gradual interpolation from one frozen pose to another. Velocity Blends group A Velocity Blend object is one that has its positions blended based on velocity (like a biped’s COM). Objects used for Velocity Blending are most commonly the roots of the mix hierarchy.
Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Non-Biped Object) The spinner value lets you specify an additional angle to add to the roll. Pitch— When on, accumulates the pitch (Y) angle during the transition. When off, the angle is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on. The spinner value lets you specify an additional angle to add to the pitch. Yaw—When on, accumulates the yaw (Z) angle during the transition. When off, the angle is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on.
618 Chapter 12: Animation OK—Confirms the current settings and closes the dialog. Search field—To find an object in the list, enter the object’s name and then press ENTER. Node list—Lists all the available objects. Pick Nodes Dialog (Motion Mixer) Graph Editors menu > Motion Mixer... > Select a non-biped object clip transition. > Motion Mixer menu bar > Transitions > Edit > Mixer Transition Editor > Click one of the Select Velocity Nodes buttons.
Motion Mixer Toolbar If it searches about the existing transition, you must specify the number of frames about which it will search before and after the existing transition. Before—Set a frame value to search before the existing transition. Optimized transitions compute for minimum foot sliding over the range of the transition. This method of determining transitions yields very high quality results. transition.
620 Chapter 12: Animation Delete—Deletes a selected biped from the Motion Mixer window. Select—Lets you select bipeds, trackgroups, tracks, and clips. Move Clips—Allows selection and movement (including SHIFT+Clone) of bipeds and trackgroups, keeping clips and transitions intact. It also allows independent horizontal movement of clips on the same track or vertical movement of clips from one biped’s track to another biped’s track. Add Bipeds—Opens the Bipeds dialog listing all the bipeds in the scene.
Motion Mixer Toolbar Editable Time Warps—Clips can be interactively time warped, given that they have had a time warp applied. When in this mode, you can place seams in a clip and then drag them within the clip’s original length. See Adding Time Warps (page 2–597). Draggable Tracks—Enables vertical movement of tracks with clips. Holding down the SHIFT key while moving a track creates a clone of the original track.
622 Chapter 12: Animation See also Adding Tracks to the Mixer (page 2–583) Using the Reservoir (page 2–603) Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Biped Object) parts can be individually activated or deactivated by clicking them, or you can use the buttons across the bottom of the Trackgroup Filter diagram to expedite selections. Center—Activates all central body parts, comprised of the spine, pelvis and horizontal movement, rotation and vertical movement icons.
Motion Mixer Editor object’s upper body, while another set controls the lower body. For more information and procedures on the use of trackgroup filters, see Filtering Mixer Tracks (page 2–589). Interface Invert—Inverts the current body part selection. If everything is active, this deactivates everything, as if you clicked the None button. Subtree group Display—When on, all body parts are listed following a hierarchy structure. Otherwise, body parts are listed on the same level. Default=on.
624 Chapter 12: Animation • Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls (page 2–624) • Interactive Clip Controls (page 2–624) • Weighting Controls (page 2–625) Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls The left-most section of the editor is the Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls section. The Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls set the number, order, display, and characteristics of those features in the mix. Bipeds and trackgroups can be selected, added, removed and repositioned.
Motion Mixer Editor When Weight Mode is turned on, weights can be adjusted with a red weight curve on a clip or track. The vertical timeline. If a clip has a time warp applied, time can be distorted interactively in Time Warp mode: first create seams in the clip, then drag the seams to stretch or squeeze time. On a Layer track, each clip has its own weight curve. Each Transition track has one weight curve for the entire track.
626 Chapter 12: Animation you type in a weight, the weights of all nodes are changed to the new value. Interface Weighting is evaluated across tracks in a single trackgroup. If a trackgroup has two or more tracks, the topmost track’s weight is evaluated at each frame. If the weight at any frame is less than 1.0, the motion on the track is only partially used, and next track down is evaluated for its weight. If the total weight is still less than 1.0, the next track down is evaluated, and so on.
Reservoir Reservoir toolbar The commands on the main Reservoir toolbar allow you to manage the clips you have in the Motion Mixer and also build up a collection of clips that you may want to use in the future. Max Clips/Biped Clips—Choose to switch between a list of biped and non-biped motion assets. The Max Clips option displays XAF files while Biped Clips displays BIP files. New Entry—Opens a dialog where you can choose BIP or XAF files to load into the Reservoir.
628 Chapter 12: Animation or XAF file. Clip information is also displayed, like the name of the clip reference as it appears in the Motion Mixer. Information about the biped structure is also listed along with the bipeds to which the clip has been adapted. Interface Motion Preview The Motion Preview at the lower right side of the Reservoir shows a thumbnail of the selected clip. Moving the slider across the bottom gives you an idea of what the motion looks like before you add it to a track.
Mixer Rollout • Outpoints—Displays the end transition frame on the transition clip bar. Default=Off. Show / Hide Other group These settings indicate if range bars and balance curves appear in the Motion Mixer tracks. • Trackgroup Rangebars—Hides the gray range bar that appears along the top of each trackgroup. Default=On. • Balance Curves—Displays the Balance Curves track. Default=On. Frame Display group These settings affect how clip boundaries and transition in/outpoints appear in the Motion Mixer.
630 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Load File—Loads a Motion Mixer file (.mix). These files include the following, which display in the Motion Mixer window when a MIX file is loaded: • Trackgroups—Groups of tracks (page 3–1117) for selected parts of the biped. • Tracks—Layer tracks (page 3–1055) and transition tracks (page 3–1121) where clips and transitions reside. • Clips—References to BIP animation files used in the mix. • Transitions—Connections between clips on transition tracks.
Follow/Bank Utility pivot orientation in the Hierarchy > Pivot panel before using this utility. Interface Although many of the settings are the same as in the Path constraint, this utility is not dynamic; you have to click the Apply Follow button each time you change an object’s animation or the utility settings.
632 Chapter 12: Animation Bank Amount—Adjusts the amount of the banking to one side or the other, depending on whether the value is positive or negative. 1. In Track View, assign motion capture animation controllers to the specific tracks you want controlled by external devices. Smoothness—Controls how rapidly the roll angle 2. After assigning the Motion Capture controller, open the Properties dialog for the track and bind the type of peripheral device(s).
Motion Capture Utility A Motion Capture dialog is displayed. Its title bar includes the name of the object and the track to which the controller is assigned. If a Data dialog opens instead, close it, right-click the track name, and choose Properties. radius of a cylinder would have only one device to control the radius value. 2. Bind the devices in the Properties dialog for the track. To specify a device: 1. Click the Properties button while the Rotation track is selected.
634 Chapter 12: Animation 3. Right-click in the Rotation track to display the Motion Capture properties dialog. 4. Click the button beside Z Rotation, and assign a Joystick Input Device. 5. Under Joystick Axis, choose the X option (if it’s not already chosen). 6. Check Accumulate so that the rotation won’t return to zero each time you release the joystick.
Motion Capture Utility Interface Record Controls group Tests and records your animation. The first three buttons let you control the recording directly, while the Start/Stop button lets you use a MIDI device to control the recording. Start—Starts a recording using the values set under Record Range below the Track list. Stop—Stops the recording before the Out frame is reached. You can also stop a recording by pressing ESC, or by pressing the right mouse button. Test—Tests your motion.
636 Chapter 12: Animation Start/Stop Trigger Setup dialog after the Record button. The recording starts when the button is released. Tracks group Presets—Choose the type of MIDI device. If you choose Media Control Station 2, you can use its buttons to Stop, Play, and Record. (The Media Control Station is a MIDI device containing standard VCR-style playback buttons along with a jog wheel.
Motion Capture Utility All—Assigns all tracks to the Record Controls group. Out is larger than the current segment, the segment is temporarily enlarged during the recording. Invert—When tracks are selected, assigns the unselected tracks to the Record Controls Area. In—Specifies the frame number where the recording begins after you click Start. None—Assigns none of the tracks to the Record Out—Specifies the frame number where the Controls group. recording ends after you click Start.
638 Chapter 12: Animation Low threshold values closely match the original animation but may not greatly reduce the number of keys. High threshold values produce the fewest keys but may not match the original animation with much accuracy. Note: When Reduce Keys is active, there is additional calculation time after each completed recording. Mouse Input Device rollout Controls animation using the horizontal or vertical motion of the mouse.
Motion Capture Utility Envelope Parameters group Joystick Input Device rollout Specifies the time over which the envelope of the action takes effect, relative to the key pressing and release. The Joystick Input Device driver was designed for the Microsoft Sidewinder joystick, which contains more controls than the standard joystick. You can use this device driver for standard joysticks as well. Attack —Displays the time it takes after pressing the key for the value to reach its maximum level.
640 Chapter 12: Animation you’re limited to the "rectangle" defined by the limits of the joystick. When the joystick returns to its rest position, the value generated returns to zero. When this is turned on, the joystick represents a change in the current position. Moving the joystick forward, for example, can cause an object to start moving, and it will continue to move until you return the joystick to its rest position. output when you press the button (Spinner Value: float, -999,999 to 999,999).
Motion Capture Utility the range, the value takes on the Max value from the same area. Anything in between is interpolated between the Min and Max values. (Note that Min doesn’t have to be less than Max.) The generated value will slide around as different keys are pressed. The harder a key is pressed, the faster the value changes. The Speed setting defines how fast, overall, the value changes as keys are pressed.
642 Chapter 12: Animation MIDI Channel Viewer Clicking MIDI Channel Viewer at the bottom of the MIDI Device rollout displays a dialog that lets you test your MIDI device to see which MIDI channel is receiving events, and which notes are being triggered. MIDI Channel group Provides a column of 16 buttons and progress bars representing the 16 MIDI channels. Select the channel from which you want to view note activity. The channel progress bars light up when any channel has an event.
MACUtilities Utility After the conversion, the resulting CSM file is saved in this folder. Interface 5. Turn on Use MNM Filter File. 6. Turn off Use TRC Filename. 7. Click Convert TRC to CSM. A Select Source TRC Files... dialog opens. 8. Highlight a TRC file and click Open to confirm your selection. A Selected Target CSM File... dialog opens. 9. Either highlight an existing CSM file to overwrite or enter a new filename. Click OK to confirm your selection. Your file is converted into CSM format.
644 Chapter 12: Animation Browse...—Lets you pick a folder in which 3ds Max saves the generated CSM file. Convert TRC To CSM—Lets you first pick the TRC file to convert. The resulting CSM file is named after the original TRC file. Note: If Use TRC Filename is turned off, a second dialog opens so you can pick an existing CSM file to overwrite or create a new one. Options group Use MNM Filter File—When on, the MNM file is used in the conversion process. Default=on.
Camera Tracker Utility Procedure See the Camera Tracking tutorial for hands-on instruction about using the Camera Tracker. To generate a camera match-move: 1. Open the working scene in 3ds Max. The scene should have a Free camera to be match-moved, as the tracker does not create one. The scene also should have a set of Point or CamPoint helper objects positioned in 3D to correspond to the tracking features.
646 Chapter 12: Animation process. This mechanism allows you to match a move in which the view passes through a field of features with only some of them (at least six) visible at any time. 6. (Optional) Set up manual keyframes for each tracker at frames in which the feature radically changes motion or shape or is briefly occluded and so might be difficult for the computer to track. If you want, you can do this after a tracking attempt indicates where tracking errors occurred. 7.
Camera Tracker: Movie Rollout • A set of trackable features in the movie, such as wall markers, balls, corner points and so on, for which position measurements are known. The tracker will track most small features with good contrast to their surroundings, have a well-defined position in space, and are unique within their frame-to-frame areas of movement.
648 Chapter 12: Animation accuracy. If the movie was digitized from film, you should not perform deinterlacing because the results will be less accurate. The deinterlacing is performed temporarily on loaded frames and doesn’t affect the original movie file. Save As—Saves the current setup into a new .mot file. This file becomes the destination for subsequent Save operations. Load—Load the tracker setup and position data from another file. Off—Disables deinterlacing.
Camera Tracker: Movie Window The motion search bounds defines the are in which the feature will be searched for from frame-to-frame. This bounds box moves with the feature box, so the area is relative to the current feature at each frame. It’s important to estimate this search area well. If it’s too large, the matching process will be unnecessarily slow and there’s more chance of other features in the search area making the search ambiguous; if it’s too small, tracking errors will occur.
650 Chapter 12: Animation pixel in the current window or the subpixel increment selected. So, if you’re zoomed out two times and the subpixel increment is 1/16 of a pixel, the nudge increment is four image pixels, due to the zoom. However, if you’re zoomed in five times, the nudge increment is 1/16 of an image pixel, due to the subpixel level. • Bounds: You adjust the bounding boxes by pressing and dragging the handles of the box you want to adjust in the selected gizmo.
Camera Tracker: Motion Trackers Rollout New Tracker—Creates a new movie feature tracker. This places a feature tracker gizmo in the center of the Movie window and a new entry in the tracker list. The new tracker takes on the parameters currently displayed under Tracker Setup.
652 Chapter 12: Animation high-weight trackers. Use weights of two to six to get a good lock. Max Move/Frame—Sets the maximum number of pixels that the tracked feature moves from frame-to-frame over the entire tracking range and establishes an initial motion search bounds box for newly created trackers. You can also set this dynamically by adjusting the motion search bounds box directly in the Movie window.
Camera Tracker: Movie Stepper Rollout You can also reduce feature tracking times by making the inner feature bounds box in the gizmo as tight as you can while still retaining a couple of pixels worth of surrounding contrast. Search times are proportional to the feature bounds box size. Track Range Use these when a feature moves off-screen or is not visible in the Movie window. Set Start—Sets the start of the active frame range for a tracker. Set Stop—Sets the end of the active frame range for a tracker.
654 Chapter 12: Animation Interface positions, so you can review tracking results a few frames at a time. If you want, you can force a retrack by nudging a keyframe gizmo back-and-forth which causes the gizmos to drop all subsequent tracked positions up to the next keyframe.
Camera Tracker: Error Thresholds Rollout tracker placement on the match computations. This is best done with the nudge arrows. Turn on the 3ds Max Auto Key button to record adjusted match camera positions. Sync Animation—Controls whether the scene time slider is advanced in step with the movie frames during stepping. This is sometimes useful if you have the movie set up as an animated background image in the match camera window. Check camera positioning at the same time you check feature positioning.
656 Chapter 12: Animation 2. Browse through the errors in sequence by Interface pressing Next under the list. 3. When you’ve selected an error, the associated tracker gizmo is selected and brought into view and the movie is set to the frame at which the potential error was detected. 4. If there is indeed an error, adjust the gizmo in the Movie window to correct it, and place a new keyframe. 5.
Camera Tracker: Position Data Rollout Error Codes Me—Match error threshold exceeded. Vd—Color variance delta threshold exceeded. Jd—Jump delta threshold exceeded. In each case, the number following the code is the actual error measure. You can see how the error measure compares to the current thresholds in the Error Thresholds rollout.
658 Chapter 12: Animation Camera Tracker: Match Move Rollout Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > More button > Utilities dialog > Camera Tracker > Match Move rollout The Camera Tracker utility’s Match Move rollout automatically generates a camera animation by correlating the 2D position data of the movie features gathered during the tracking phase with the associated 3D feature points in the 3ds Max scene. Interface press “H” to bring up select by name dialog.
Camera Tracker: Move Smoothing Rollout Animation Start frame lets you position the movie frame range relative to the animation frame range. The position data for a match will be taken from the tracker frames starting at the Movie Start spinner value and the camera will be matched and animated starting from those frames.
660 Chapter 12: Animation Interface Smooth Type group Straight line average—Causes Move smoothing to generate a straight line average for each of the selected parameters. This is useful when you know a parameter is fixed, but don’t know its actual value. Examples might include field-of-view or vertical position.
Camera Tracker: Object Pinning Rollout Smooth—Performs the move smoothing based on the smooth type, range, and amount settings. If this button is disabled, no current match camera is assigned. 6. Adjust the Pin Range, and then press the Pin button to move the object to follow the tracker.
662 Chapter 12: Animation Pin Range group Movie Start—Sets the movie frame from which to start using tracked feature positions. Animation Start—Sets the frame in the 3ds Max animation at which to start keyframing the move of the pinned object. Frame Count—Sets the number of frames to animate. There must be enough tracked positions in the selected tracker to cover this number of frames.
Dynamics Utility needs to be at least big enough to enclose the moved feature and the surrounding contrast area you’ve selected in the feature bounds box. 3. Make sure the scene objects are associated correctly with their trackers. You can verify this by checking the entries in the list at the top of the Motion Trackers rollout. If there is an object associated, you will see its name in the list entry, if not you will see “”.
664 Chapter 12: Animation control and simulate complex physical scenes with ease. reactor supports fully integrated rigid and soft-body dynamics, cloth simulation, and fluid simulation. Objects and Space Warps Used to Create Dynamics Simulations A very basic simulation would involve creating a sphere and a gravity space warp, adding the sphere to a new simulation, assigning gravity as an effect on the sphere and solving the simulation. The result is that the sphere falls under the force of gravity.
Dynamics Utility The Dynamics Interface space warps can cause particles to deflect from and affect an object in a simulation. Combine Keyframed Objects in a Simulation: Keyframe an object and have it interact with other objects in a dynamics simulation by turning on the This Object is Unyielding check box in the Edit Object dialog for the keyframed object. Objects can bounce off of a keyframed sphere for example.
666 Chapter 12: Animation click Solve. can repeat this as many times as you like to layer simulations ad infinitum. In the viewports the objects fall and collide with each other and the ground plane. Since Undo is not supported by Dynamics, you can also use Hold and Fetch in its place. 17. Turn on Update Display with Solve, and then 18. Turn on the Auto Key button, move the time slider to frame 15, and then select and move the "ground" box upward along the Z axis.
Dynamics Utility collide with each other, and assign the gravity effect to the ball.) 5. Use the Dynamics utility to specify the range of frames to which keys will be generated, and to calculate the animation and generate the keys. (In the case of a bouncing ball, a number of position and rotation keys are generated for the ball.) 6. Play the animation to see if the effect is what you were looking for.
668 Chapter 12: Animation dynamics simulation, and the effect on the link of such combinations. An asterisk (*) indicates those combinations that are more typically useful. The format of this list is as follows: X=check box on. O=check box off. One group of settings is made up of the three Move check boxes over the three Rotate check boxes. Here’s an example: XXO=X and Y Move check boxes on, and Z off. OXO=Y Rotate check box on, and X and Z off. 1. 1 Move Lock: Turn on any single Move.
Dynamics Utility hole). The clear Move and Rotate axis specifies the axis along which the joint can slide and rotate. The possible check box combinations are: XXO XOX OXX XXO XOX OXX 11. * 2 Moves + 3 Rotates: Turn on two Moves and all three Rotates. (This is a prismatic or sliding joint.) The joint transmits no torque, and force in only one direction. You can use this in conjunction with the Push effect to make a hydraulic cylinder. The one clear Move specifies the axis of movement. 12.
670 Chapter 12: Animation New—Creates a new simulation. Its name consists of the word "Dynamics" appended by a number, starting with 00. This number is incremented by one for each new simulation. Effects by Object—Only effects assigned to specific objects with the Edit Object dialog > Assign Object Effects button are considered in the calculation. Remove—Deletes the current simulation. Dynamic Global Effects dialog (accessed by clicking the button of the same name) are included in the calculation.
Dynamics Utility Solve group Update Display w/ Solve—Displays each frame of the solution in the wireframe viewports during the calculations. This slows down the calculation process. Solve—Calculates the dynamics solution, generating keys over the range of frames specified in the Timing area. A progress bar appears in the status/prompt line. Press ESC to cancel the calculation. Note: You cannot undo the generation of a dynamics simulation solution.
672 Chapter 12: Animation key of the keyframed "input motion" after the start time of the simulation, or set a start time before the last key. End Time—Specifies the last key considered for the solution. This spinner is set to the last frame of the active segment (page 3–998) when you create a new simulation. For example, if your active segment ends at frame 200, when you click New to create a new simulation, End Time is set to 200.
Edit Object Dialog Dynamics Properties Material Editor rollout The three spinners in the Dynamics Properties rollout in the Material Editor let you specify surface properties that affect the animation of an object upon collision with another object. If there are no collisions in your simulation, these settings have no effect.
674 Chapter 12: Animation Object—Displays the name of the object for which you’re setting the dynamic properties. All settings in the Edit Object dialog affect the object listed here. To change the object you’re affecting, open the list, and choose from a list of all objects assigned to the simulation.
Edit Object Dialog simulation. Objects included for collision in this dialog can collide with the current object. Note: For every potential collision, you should explicitly specify both colliding objects. For example, if you specify that Box01 is to collide with Box02, you should also specify that Box02 is to collide with Box01. This is primarily for keeping track of your simulation; if you specify the collision for only one object, it works for the other as well.
676 Chapter 12: Animation Static Friction—Specifies how hard it is to start moving on a surface. Available only if Override Material Static Friction is on. Override Material Static Friction—Enables the Static Friction spinner when you want to use a specific value that’s different than that assigned by the object’s material. When using a multi/sub-object material, you can assign different Static Friction values to the sub-materials, and thus to different faces of an object.
Edit Object List Dialog vertex is given a mass of 1 gram, but the object itself has no volume. Surface—Treats the object as a hollow shell whose thickness is 1 centimeter. The mass is derived from the surface area and the 1-centimeter thickness, but the object has no volume. Bounding Box—A bounding box surrounding the extents of the object is used to calculate both the volume (of a solid bounding box) and the mass (based on the volume).
678 Chapter 12: Animation names that use wildcards. For example, searching for "sphere*" finds all objects whose names start with "sphere". Objects in the Simulation—To exclude objects from the simulation (assuming Include is chosen), select objects from the list on the right, then use the < button to move them to the list on the left. Exclude/Include—Choose whether the simulation will exclude or include the objects named in the list on the right.
Skin Utilities 9. Match up the bones by highlighting one on Paste Skin Data dialog each side of the dialog, and clicking the left arrow to move the target bone to its match on the left side. You can also highlight several bones on each side at once, and click the left arrow to move them all over at the same time. Only bone pairs on the left side of the dialog will be pasted. 10.
680 Chapter 12: Animation Remove Prefix—If bone names start with text followed by an underscore, this removes all characters from the displayed bone names up to and including the underscore. Use this option to remove prefixes and make source and target bone names match, which will allow you to use the Match by Name option. Left Arrow—Matches highlighted target bones to highlighted source bones. The source bone name is moved to the left side of the dialog, where it follows the target bone name.
Character Assemblies Character Assembly A character assembly is a special type of group for objects particular to a character setup: the character mesh, bones, IK chains, helper objects, controllers, and other objects used to animate characters. Once the objects are grouped (assembled), you can perform various functions on the group as a whole, such as saving and loading animation for the entire bone/mesh set.
682 Chapter 13: Character Assemblies Although the character assembly feature was designed for use with character structures, it will work equally well with any type of hierarchy or related set of objects. Creating a Character Assembly To create a character assembly, select the objects that will make up the assembly. Choose Character menu > Create Character. All selected objects become members of the assembly, and the character assembly node is created.
Create Character 4. On the Modify panel, use the character Character Assembly Commands Create Character assembly tools to work with the character structure. The character assembly is given the default name of Character01, which can be changed. All members of the assembly are listed in the Character Members rollout. Character menu > Create Character Interface This command creates a character assembly (page 2–681). Procedure To create a character assembly: 1.
684 Chapter 13: Character Assemblies Character Assembly rollout options directly from the Character menu when any member of the character assembly is selected. Set as Skin Pose—Sets the Skin pose to the current bone structure’s pose. The Skin modifier’s envelopes and vertex weighting are automatically recalculated to work with the new pose. Assume Skin Pose—Causes the bone structure to take on the Skin pose. This feature can be useful during the animation phase.
Destroy Character Animation group See also Animation for the character assembly can be saved or reset in this group. Previously saved animation from another character can also be inserted to the current character assembly. Destroy Character (page 2–685) Save Character (page 2–686) Insert Animation—Displays the Merge Animation Merge Animation (page 3–471) Lock / Unlock Character (page 2–685) dialog (page 3–471), and prompts for a previously saved animation file.
686 Chapter 13: Character Assemblies See also Character Assembly (page 2–681) Skin Pose Commands Character menu > Set Skin Pose Insert Character Character menu > Assume Skin Pose Character menu > Skin Pose Mode Character menu > Insert Character Choose this command to insert a previously saved character into the current scene. A character assembly can be saved as a .chr file by choosing Character menu > Save Character. A .
Skin Pose Commands is on will affect only the skin pose and not the animation. When Skin Pose Mode is turned off, the structure returns to its pose at the current frame.
688 Chapter 13: Character Assemblies
Character Studio Introduction to character studio character studio provides professional tools for animating 3D characters. It is an environment in which animators can quickly and easily build skeletons and then animate them, thus creating motion sequences. The animated skeletons are used to drive the movement of 3ds Max geometry, thus creating virtual characters. Crowds of these characters can be generated using character studio, and animated using a system of delegates and procedural behaviors.
690 Chapter 14: Character Studio (page 2–714) that automatically creates movement based on gravity, balance, and other factors. character studio consists of three basic components: If you want to animate motions manually, you can use freeform animation (page 2–743). This type of animation is also suitable for characters with more than two legs, or characters that fly or swim. With freeform animation, you can animate the skeleton with traditional inverse kinematic techniques.
Understanding Biped • Use of the Track View - Dope Sheet and Track View - Curve Editor, and the trackbar to view and edit animation tracks and keys For information on these areas, refer to 3ds Max documentation. If you don’t know how to use 3ds Max, do some of the introductory tutorials found online in Help > Tutorials. Understanding Biped Biped (page 2–701) is a 3ds Max component that you access from the Create panel. Once you create a biped, you animate it using the Biped controls on the Motion panel.
692 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Designed for footsteps— The biped skeleton is specially designed to animate with character studio footsteps, which help solve the common animation problem of locking the feet to the ground. Footstep animation also provides an easy way to rough out animation quickly. See the section Creating Footstep Animation (page 2–714).
Understanding Physique Envelopes and Weighted Vertices Envelopes are the Physique modifier’s primary tool for controlling skin deformation; tendons and bulge angles are used to fine tune mesh deformation after envelopes are adjusted. All envelopes have an inner and outer bound (boundary). Vertices falling within the inner bound of a single link receive a full weight of 1.0 from that link. Those falling outside the outer bound receive no weight from that link.
694 Chapter 14: Character Studio useful to keep the character stationary during envelope adjustment. to do these tasks for all scene objects using direct key manipulation. Link parameters, Bulge angles and tendons are the finishing touches. Skin sliding, the amount of twist, and crease blending as a character moves are controlled using link parameters. Bulge angles are used to bulge areas like the biceps, legs and chest relative to the angle created by a link and its child in the hierarchy.
Understanding the Workbench Curve display can help pinpoint troublesome spots in your animation. You can see where a curve has problems, usually corresponding to motion problems in the viewport animation. You move the keys to compensate for the problems. Understanding the Workbench The Workbench is a curve editor customized for use with character studio. It provides specialized tools for selecting and displaying curves, and also for locating and fixing errors and discontinuities in motion.
696 Chapter 14: Character Studio and interact with one another by procedural means. You can use it to easily animate scenes containing hundreds of people and/or creatures, all with similar or widely varying sets of behaviors, which can vary dynamically according to other factors in the scene. Multiple transitions from each clip A crowd simulation can also be used to generate a motion sequence from this type of graph.
Understanding character studio Workflow One of the most important requirements of crowd simulations is avoidance; realism suffers if characters pass through each other or other objects in the scene. The Crowd system offers a number of behaviors to help achieve proper avoidance. It also provides the Vector Field, a special space warp, that, when applied to an irregularly shaped object, allows delegates to move around the object without penetrating it.
698 Chapter 14: Character Studio nearby vertices. Envelopes typically overlap at the parent and child ends of links. Vertices within overlapping envelopes are blended to create smooth skin deformation over joints as the character moves. Adjust Skin Behavior Adjust Physique parameters and introduce skin behavior effects to achieve the desired characterization. • Change default envelope shapes by adding cross sections and control points to isolate a more specific volume of vertices for each bone.
Understanding character studio Workflow then adjust the biped keyframes and footsteps individually. Use In Place Mode to Control the View When using footsteps, biped dynamics (page 3–1010) helps you by simulating gravity and balance. you keep your biped in view during animation playback. It offers a convenient way of adjusting and adding keyframes to a character without constantly changing your view to follow the character’s motion.
700 Chapter 14: Character Studio You can also specify a freeform period in a footstep animation, using Track View - Dope Sheet. This allows you to take advantage of footsteps and dynamics for part of an animation, then switch to manual keyframing during the freeform period. This approach can be particularly useful in animations where there is a mix of animation where the feet are on the ground and then off. Examples of this type of animation include running and diving, or walking and then sitting down.
Working with Biped Use Crowds to Animate Groups of Characters Once you’ve created animation sequences for characters or other models (such as a bird flapping its wings), you can replicate the models or characters and apply the motions to these groups using the Crowd system (page 2–1006). You can also combine them with a wide range of supplied behaviors to create lifelike activities in crowds, such as people streaming through a doorway, street traffic, or birds and fish flocking and avoiding obstacles.
702 Chapter 14: Character Studio When you position the biped inside your mesh, start with the center of mass (COM), which is the parent of all objects in the biped hierarchy. The COM should be positioned in line with the hips of the mesh character. Scale the pelvis so that the legs fit properly in the mesh, and then use Move and Scale on the 3ds Max toolbar to position your biped skeleton.
Creating a Biped Creating a Biped If you turn on Most Recent .fig File, the biped you make will use the parameters stored in the last FIG (figure) file you’ve loaded. Changing Biped Parameters Like other 3ds Max objects, you can change biped parameters on the Create panel at creation time. However, to modify or animate a biped, you use parameters on the Motion panel. For more information on changing biped parameters, see Structure Rollout (page 2–837).
704 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedure To create a biped on a surface: 1. On the Create panel > Systems, click Biped. You can also select the center of mass by clicking Body Horizontal, Body Vertical or Body Rotation in the Track Selection rollout (page 2–800). 2. Turn on AutoGrid. Changing the Biped Hierarchy 3. Move your cursor over any geometry in the The biped Hierarchy is a little different than a standard 3ds Max hierarchy in that you can’t delete any of the components of the skeleton.
Changing Initial Biped Anatomy because biped IK will not be available on these extra parts. Changing Initial Biped Anatomy Use the body parameters to change initial biped anatomy. The Body parameters are in the Create Biped rollout that appears in the Create panel when you create a biped. Note: You can change body parameters in the Create panel immediately only after creating a biped. Once you leave the Create panel, these settings are still available, but from the Structure rollout in the Motion panel.
706 Chapter 14: Character Studio Posing the Biped After creating the default biped, you will often need to change the proportions of the skeleton to fit your model. Use Figure mode to change the biped structure in its rest pose. You might rotate the spine objects to create the figure for a hunchback or a dinosaur. Use the move tool to change the position of the thumb or the arms. You can even apply modifiers to the biped skeleton pieces, such as using an FFD on the biped head to adjust its shape.
Posing the Biped Changing the Biped Structure Bipeds don’t have to appear human. You can change their elements and form to create other kinds of characters. Although you can change some initial aspects of the biped’s structure in the Create panel, you use Figure mode to change all aspects of the biped’s structure after its creation. • Specify the number of links in each part of the biped.
708 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedures 5. In a left or right viewport, scale the biped’s feet so their profile roughly matches the profile of the feet of the skin. To work in Figure mode: 1. Select the biped you want to pose, and then go to the Motion panel. 6. Scale toes or move them along their local X-axis so each toe is aligned with the corresponding toe in the skin. The Motion panel doesn’t show Biped controls unless the biped is selected.
Scaling Links to pivot. This is usually just below the ears, centered with the spine. 4. Move, rotate, and scale the hands until you have the position and size you want. Use PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN to move the different parts of the arm. Leave the head in its default position relative to the spine and neck links. Note: If you move limbs laterally, they will both To fit both arms using copy/paste: move in the same direction, and will no longer be symmetrical about the body.
710 Chapter 14: Character Studio As with rotation, when you scale biped links, Biped constrains the transform to use the link’s Local coordinate system. The position of other biped links can change so they remain attached to the resized link. If you shorten the thigh, the calf and ankle will maintain their size, but change their position. To scale a link, select any scale icon from the Scale flyout on the Main Toolbar.
Biped Display Options As you move the arm or leg link, the hands and feet are stationary as the knees or elbows are positioned. To adjust the biped center of mass with Rubber Band: 1. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, turn on Figure mode. 2. Select the center of mass object (diamond shape) on the biped. 3. Turn on the Move transform. 4. On the Biped rollout > Modes group, turn on Rubber Band mode.
712 Chapter 14: Character Studio These controls allow you to quickly turn on and off the biped bones, objects and footsteps, twist links and leg states, as well as footstep numbers and trajectories. There is also a Display Preferences dialog accessed from here that lets you control which bipeds are visible during Biped Playback. skin does. Also, figures seen from a distance don’t require the same degree of realism as figures seen close up. Note: The Display group is hidden by default.
Saving and Loading FIG Files • Link extra 3ds Max bones or splines to the biped to create extra envelopes when Physique is applied. • Link 3ds Max bones to the biped to automate mechanical assemblies when the biped is keyframed. • Link particle emitters to the biped hands or feet to create smoke or dust. Note: If you’ve linked particle emitters or 3ds Max bones (with the IK controller) to the biped, the Animate button must be on when you reposition the biped.
714 Chapter 14: Character Studio See also Figure Mode (page 2–835) Procedures To save a biped’s figure information to a file: 1. Select the biped to save. On the Motion panel, activate Figure 2. mode. 3. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, click Save File. 4. In the file dialog, enter a name for the figure file, and then click OK. Tip: While you work on creating a biped pose, save your work frequently in a figure file.
Working with Footstep Animation Dope Sheet Editor. There, each footstep appears as a block of time, with each block representing the time when the foot is planted in a footstep. When you first create them, footsteps are inactive. They exist in the scene but don’t yet control the biped’s motion. 4. Create the footstep pattern in viewports.
716 Chapter 14: Character Studio You can also use the character studio Set Key tools found in the Key Info rollout. 10.Play the animation again and make any corrections to the upper body motion. Footstep Method In the viewports, footsteps represent support periods in space for the biped feet. You can move and rotate footsteps in viewports. In Track View, each footstep appears as a block that represents a support period in time for each of the biped’s feet. You can move footsteps in time in Track View.
Working with Footstep Animation Footsteps displayed in Track View - Dope sheet editor Using the default keyframes as a starting point, you can interactively insert, replace, or delete keyframes in order to refine the motion of the biped and fill in the details of movement that are unique to your animation.
718 Chapter 14: Character Studio except in cases where default leg keys must be regenerated to account for timing edits that alter the basic gait pattern, such as creating a hop in the middle of a walk. Use Footstep mode to create and edit footsteps. Use Keyframe mode (Footstep mode off ) to create and edit your character’s keys. You can always edit the timing of both footsteps and keyframes in Track View. While the biped’s feet are airborne, you can animate its legs as you do its upper body.
Choosing a Gait “walk” timing – the character shifts weight from one foot to the other. • How long, in frames, should each footstep be? How long are the biped’s airborne periods? • Are there any periods of time where the biped is standing on two feet for a while? Choosing a Gait A gait is a method or pattern of moving on foot. during the support period, or the body is airborne. While it is airborne, the body moves forward horizontally at a constant speed.
720 Chapter 14: Character Studio appear on the Create Multiple Footsteps dialog You are now in Footstep mode, where you can create, activate, or edit footsteps. (page 2–844). • If creating footsteps manually with Create Footsteps (append) or Create Footsteps (at current frame), the gait parameters on the Footstep Creation rollout (page 2–841) are used. Changing these values changes the timing for any footsteps placed after the values are set. 3.
Creating Footsteps Manually walking, running, or jumping footstep patterns, see Creating Footsteps Automatically (page 2–720). There are two ways to create footsteps manually: • • You can start creating footsteps at the current frame with Create Footsteps (at current frame) in the Footstep Creation rollout (page 2–841). Any footsteps added subsequently will extend in time from the first footstep.
722 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedures To prepare for manual footstep creation: 1. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, click Footstep Mode. You are now in Footstep mode, and can create, activate, or edit footsteps. 2. If the existing footsteps are active, deactivate them first. Select all footsteps and click Deactivate Footsteps. 3. Click Create Footsteps (append). 4. Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Move the cursor and continue clicking to create more footsteps 2.
Activating Footsteps 6. When you have finished placing footsteps, click Create Keys For Inactive Footsteps. Keys have now been created for the footsteps. 7. Procedure To activate footsteps: 1. Click Play Animation to see the animation. The biped steps on the terrain, following the footsteps. See also 2. Move, rotate, delete and edit footsteps as desired. 3.
724 Chapter 14: Character Studio After making changes to the footsteps, click Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps in the Footstep Operations rollout (page 2–842). This will recreate keys for the biped and cause it to follow the footsteps. Active footsteps are pale in color, while inactive footsteps are brightly colored. This coloring appears both on footstep icons in viewports and on footstep keys in the Dope Sheet.
Understanding Footstep and Body Keys keys to part of the animation, you might want to deactivate only a portion of the footsteps. so it’s important that you become familiar with them. When some but not all footsteps are currently deactivated, limitations are imposed on the changes you can make to footsteps: • Touch occurs at the leg keyframe where the foot first touches the footstep, and always corresponds with the start frame of a footstep in Track View. The Touch state is always one frame long.
726 Chapter 14: Character Studio touch or lift keyframe, turning on Auto Key and changing the leg positions or rotations, you cannot delete these keys. To change the foot/leg animation after footsteps are activated, seeAnimating Legs and Feet (page 2–731) and Adjusting Body Keys in Track View (page 2–733). Body Keys When foosteps are activated, keys are also generated for the center of mass (COM) object, the blue tetrahedron at the center of the biped’s pelvis.
Editing Footstep Timing • Click and drag to draw a bounding box around footsteps you want to select. • Unselect footsteps by holding down the ALT key and clicking footsteps. Footsteps can also be selected in Track View’s Dope Sheet mode. See Editing Footstep Timing (page 2–727). Biped Key Adaptation When active footsteps are moved, rotated, deleted, bent, or scaled, biped keys are automatically altered to account for changes in balance and motion. This change is called adaptation (page 3–999).
728 Chapter 14: Character Studio Restrictions on Footstep Time Editing Footstep key selected in Track View • Click the center of a footstep key in Track View to select it. Hold down the CTRL key and click the center of additional footstep keys to select multiple footsteps. • To select several footsteps at once, draw a selection box around the footstep keys in Track View. • You can also select one edge of a footstep key by clicking the left or right edge in Track View.
Editing Active Footsteps 2. If necessary, expand the Objects listing to display footstep keys. To move selected footsteps in time: • In Track View, drag any selected footstep key to drag all selected footstep keys in time. To change the duration of a footstep: 1. In Track View, click the left or right edge of a footstep key. In addition to a white border, a small white dot appears to indicate the edge is selected. 2. Drag the selected edge to make the footstep key longer or shorter.
730 Chapter 14: Character Studio Key Adaptation for Footstep Timing Edits To edit active footsteps in time, follow the methods described in Editing Footstep Timing (page 2–727). Keyframes affected by the edit are updated immediately. A fundamental factor in how your keyframes are adapted is whether the sequence of leg support transitions has changed. Changing the relationship between opposite leg keys effectively changes the gait, which causes entirely new keyframes to be generated at that point.
Animating Legs and Feet To edit the footstep buffer: You can edit the footstep buffer only when footsteps have been copied to the buffer, as described in the previous procedure. 1. On the Biped rollout > Modes group, click Buffer Mode. This button is active only when there are footsteps in the buffer. The viewports now display the footsteps in the footstep buffer, rather than the footsteps in the currently activated footstep sequence. 2.
732 Chapter 14: Character Studio and timing. Leg and foot keys are set at each Touch and Lift frame, and between footsteps. Although the parts of the leg (thigh, calf, foot, toes) can move and rotate separately, one key dot appears on the Track Bar and in Track View for each leg structure unless you have turned on separate tracks in the Keyframing Tools rollout (page 2–816). When the foot is not in a footstep, you can move or delete keyframes, and animate or reposition any part of the leg or foot.
Adjusting Body Keys in Track View • Turn on the 3ds Max Key Mode toggle, select the body part, and use Next Key and Previous Key to move in time from one keyframe to another. Animate only on existing keyframes. • Delete all the body part keys except the key at frame 0, and create entirely new keys throughout the animation. Warning: If you delete all keys, including the key at frame 0, be sure to set a key at frame 0 before animating on other frames.
734 Chapter 14: Character Studio Restrictions on Biped Body Key Editing All options available for editing biped body key timing are available only when Edit Keys on the Track View toolbar is turned on. The following rules apply to the editing biped body key timing in Track View: • You cannot move existing keys outside the area between the first and last footsteps, or to negative frames. • You can use Add Keys to add keys to any biped body track.
Shifting the Biped’s Balance • Characters that are pushing or pulling objects might need their center of mass moved slightly behind the pelvis. Note: If you place the center of mass too far in front of the pelvis, the character unnaturally compensates for balance. As each step is taken, the legs and body move in an awkward fashion, as if there was an invisible weight attached to the front of the character.
736 Chapter 14: Character Studio backward to compensate when the character bends over. • When Balance Factor is 2 and you rotate the spine forward, the head retains its original vertical alignment while the COM swings backward. The hips compensate strongly for the shift in body weight. This setting can be useful for violent or acrobatic motions. In order to affect the animation, the balance factor must be set before you animate the biped.
Adjusting Vertical Motion Gravity and Timing In reality, the length of time a person, animal or insect stays in the air during a jump is based on two factors: • How high the creature jumps, which in turn is based on how hard the creature pushes with its legs at the start of the jump. The creature’s weight has no bearing on the height of the jump, except to affect its ability to give a good push at the start.
738 Chapter 14: Character Studio Touch and Lift Dynamics When footsteps are activated for a footstep pattern that includes airborne periods, Body Vertical keys are set at each Touch and Lift keyframe. Based on the time in the air and the biped’s height, character studio calculates the height to which the biped will jump.
Adjusting Vertical Motion Ballistic Tension can range from 0 to 1, with 0.5 as the default value. Increasing Ballistic Tension to 1.0 makes the legs stiffer at takeoff or landing. Decreasing the tension to 0.0 makes the legs springier and less stiff. Procedures To locate vertical center of mass keys: 1. Select any part of the biped and access the Motion panel. 2. On the Track Selection rollout, click Body Vertical. 3.
740 Chapter 14: Character Studio 3. Move to the Vertical track keyframe you want to adjust, either a Touch or Lift key. The Ballistic Tension parameter is available only on Touch and Lift keys. 4. In the Key Info rollout, expand the Body bar to access the Ballistic Tension parameter. 5. Adjust the Ballistic Tension value. To save a either type of file, click Save File in the Biped rollout. Choose the desired file type from the Save as type pulldown.
Freeform Animation Between Footsteps You can add freeform animation to footstep animation during airborne periods, making it possible to use both footstep and freeform animation on the same biped. Freeform animation is particularly useful for: • Animating a character with more than two legs. For example, if you want the biped to run, dive into a pool then climb out of the pool, you would create footsteps for the running and climbing portions of the animation but not the swimming portion.
742 Chapter 14: Character Studio 5. In the Footstep Mode dialog, choose the Edit Free Form (no physics) option. In each airborne period in Track View, a hollow yellow box appears. 6. In the Track View footstep key display, click inside the yellow box for the airborne period for which you want to suspend gravity. This fills the yellow box, indicating that vertical dynamics are suspended for that period.
Working with Freeform Animation either format without concern for compatibility with other artists. Using the Convert tool on the Motion panel > Biped rollout (page 2–791), you can convert between footstep and freeform animation. There are no special considerations when converting from footsteps to freeform; this procedure works for all footstep sequences. However, to convert successfully from freeform to footstep animation, you must observe certain rules in order for footsteps to be generated.
744 Chapter 14: Character Studio While character studio calculates vertical dynamics and gravity based on its footstep-driven technology, you don’t always want your character strictly under these controls. You might want the character to fly, swim, or to do something improbable in a physical world. For these situations, Biped supports a comprehensive set of freeform animation controls that allow you to take total creative control over your character’s pose, movement, and timing.
Working with Freeform Animation Deleting and inserting keys or changing IK space or IK blending alters footstep duration. 2. Move the time slider to any given frame then do one of the following: In cases involving edits that alter the length of ballistic intervals (when a biped is airborne), the software ensures that there is a vertical key occurring at the lift-off and touchdown frames. This calculates the correct ballistic motion, so vertical keys are automatically inserted if not present.
746 Chapter 14: Character Studio To create a freeform period within a footstep animation: • See the lesson entitled “Animating a Pratfall” in the character studio Tutorials. Creating Freeform Animation Selecting Biped Tracks To animate your character with freeform methods, you need to know how to select the body part you want to animate, as well as the type of movement you want to affect for that part of the body.
Selecting Biped Tracks For fast track selection, you can also use the Track Selection rollout. These buttons let you quickly select the motion tracks for the horizontal and vertical movement of the biped center of mass, as well as selection of opposite limbs, or symmetrical limbs. Biped is unique in the way it separates the tracks for the center of mass into three tracks (one each for vertical, horizontal, and rotation). 4.
748 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Body Horizontal • Body Vertical • Body Rotation (selects the Body Turning track) Selecting Tracks with the Select By Name Tool You can navigate to and select tracks for a given object using the text-entry field next to the Zoom Selected Object in Track View. Enter the object name in the text field, using wildcards as necessary, and press ENTER. For more information, see the 3ds Max User Reference.
Animating by Rotating Links Biped provides controls to help you give both arms or both legs the same pose. See Copy/Paste Rollout (page 2–818) for more information.
750 Chapter 14: Character Studio To rotate the biped pelvis in all three dimensions, refer to Pelvis as Ball Joint (page 2–750). Biped Link Biped Motion Constraints Some biped parts have special-case conditions that govern how you can transform them, as described in the table and sections that follow.
Animating by Rotating Links • Rotations on the new pelvic axes (X and Z) are keyable in layers and supported in MAXScript. • The default parametric footstep animation is slightly adjusted to use the three-DOF pelvis. • If a legacy biped asset such as a BIP file is loaded onto the 3ds Max biped, the pelvis-related data will be adapted to the new DOFs and the new coordinate space within which the pelvis rotates.
752 Chapter 14: Character Studio Likewise, the orientation of the neck changes the position, but not the orientation, of the head. Although linked to the neck, the head typically rotates independently of the neck, and interpolation of these individually set orientations produces more natural-looking motion. Similar to the head and arms, changing the orientation of the upper or lower leg changes the position, but not the orientation, of the corresponding foot.
Rotating Multiple Links Tip: You can also access TCB controls by right-clicking on keys in the trackbar, Track View – Curve Editor or the Workbench Curve View. Rotating Multiple Links • Enable Bend Links Mode (page 2–807) and then select and rotate any spine, neck, or tail link to use the character studio technique of naturally bending the entire spine, neck, or tail.
754 Chapter 14: Character Studio To rotate all links in the spine, neck, or tail: 1. On the Bend Links rollout, turn on Bend Links Mode. 2. Select and rotate a single spine, neck, or tail link. The other links in the spine, neck, or tail rotate to match the single link’s rotation. 3. On the Bend Links rollout, turn on Twist Links Mode. 4. Rotate the link in local X. The other links in the spine, neck, or tail twist properly to match the single link’s rotation in X.
Using Controllers Procedures 2. On the Motion panel, in the Assign Controller rollout, click the Biped SubAnim controller you want to collapse. To add a controller to a biped object: 1. Select the biped object that you want to control, and set a key for that object. 3. Right-click the Biped SubAnim and choose Properties. 2. In the Motion panel, expand the Assign Controller rollout. A dialog appears with the Collapse choices. The Biped SubAnim entry is displayed in the list window.
756 Chapter 14: Character Studio 7. Adjust any other options you need to in the Filters tab, then click Position, Rotation, or Scale to add the subanims. 8. Expand the controller list to observe the newly added controllers. To animate the weights of an added controller: You can animate the weights of an added controller to determine when the effect takes place. A weight of 0 will yield no effect, a weight of 100 will provide the full effect.
Using Props Animating Prop Linkage Props can change linked parents (similar to the 3ds Max Link controller) at any keyframe. This is done using the Position Space and Coordinate Space lists in the Prop section of the Key Info rollout (page 2–809). Once a key is set on the prop at a given frame, you can set or change the coordinate space in which it is transformed by choosing a new space from the drop-down list. You set rotation and position coordinate space independently. key.
758 Chapter 14: Character Studio 3. Move the biped’s other hand so it is in contact with the prop, and set a key for the hand. Freeform and IK 4. Select the prop and set a key for it. 5. Move the time slider ahead one frame and set another key for the prop. 6. On the Key Info rollout, expand the Prop section. The lists for Position and Rotation coordinate spaces should be available. Change the Position from the right hand to the left hand, and click Set Key again.
Using IK Keyframe Parameters IK Blend The IK Blend control is in the Key Info rollout (page 2–809); visible when you expand the IK divider bar. You set IK Blend while in Keyframe mode . An IK Blend value between 0.0 and 1.0 means a combination of inverse and forward kinematics; when IK Blend is closer to 0.0, forward kinematics are more heavily weighted in the solution, and when IK Blend is closer to 1.0, inverse kinematics are more heavily weighted.
760 Chapter 14: Character Studio • 1 with Body turned on is inverse kinematics (page 3–1052), creates more straight-line motion between biped keys. • 1 with Object turned on, but no IK object specified, puts the limb fully into world space. Use this to control foot sliding in a freeform animation. • 1 with Object turned on and an IK object specified puts the biped limb into the coordinate space of the selected object; the biped limb follows the specified object.
Understanding Walk Cycle Constraints Touch state: pivot planted at heel at frame 14 The foot is touching the ground at the heel. In the Key Info rollout, Set Planted Key is clicked to set IK Blend=1.0 with object space and Join To Prev Key turned on. A pivot is selected on the heel of the foot. Planted key set to lock pivot at frame 17 This key has the pivot on the ball of the foot as well. Click Set Planted Key.
762 Chapter 14: Character Studio pivot at the same location: then the foot will rotate around the displayed pivot. Foot rotates off pivot at end of toe at frame 19. Here is another planted key with a pivot at the end of the toe; the foot rotates about the tip of the toe. If you adhere to these rules in creating footsteps in a freeform animation, then you can use Convert in the Biped rollout to easily change from a freeform animation to a footstep animation.
Animating Pivots Warning: DO NOT use the large Set Keys button found below the viewports when animating a biped. Doing so will cause unpredictable results. Instead, always use the Set Key buttons found the Key Info rollout. If you are animating a walk cycle or an intricate hand animation, then you should make use of the three different types of set key buttons in the Key Info rollout.
764 Chapter 14: Character Studio onthe toes. Pivots are essentially extensions of the IK chain. By setting a planted key for the hand, the hand is anchored in world space: you can move the biped or the collarbone and the hand remains planted. Pivots on the hands make it easy to animate hands and fingers. While pivots are used in both freeform and footstep animation, the pivots are only visible and accessible when in Freeform mode.
Animating a Quadruped importance of the interpolated ankle joint over the interpolated knee joint for intervals in between keyframes. This is relevant only to interpolation on bipeds. You can also select an object if you like at this point, by selecting a non-biped object in the viewport. 3. Turn on Select Pivot. 4. Select a pivot in the viewports. Pivots are shown as red dots on the hands and feet. Use wireframe viewport shading if you have problems seeing the choices. 5. Turn off Select Pivot. 6.
766 Chapter 14: Character Studio Treat the hands the same as the feet. Set planted keys on the hands and feet, then move the center of mass object to bend the knees and elbows. See Key Info Rollout (page 2–809) for more information on the three set key buttons. • You can save3ds Max objects as part of the BIP file. If you need additional legs (for a centipede) or extra arms or wings you can use standard bone objects with IK chains, and save all of it with the BIP file.
Editing Biped Keys Set one key when you want the attachment to begin, and a second key when you want the attachment to stop. This defines an Object space interval, the duration of a temporary attachment. 7. 8. On the frame that defines the end of an attachment interval, set IK Blend to 1.0, choose the Object option, and turn on Join to Prev IK Key. You can also click Set Planted Key to set these parameters all at once.
768 Chapter 14: Character Studio Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses The Copy/Paste rollout on the Motion panel provides controls to help you copy and paste biped postures, poses, and tracks. A posture (page 3–1090) is the rotation and position of any selection of biped objects. A pose (page 3–1090)is the rotation and position of all the objects in a particular biped. A track (page 3–1117) is the animation for any selection of biped parts.
Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses The Paste Posture and Paste Pose commands are also useful for copying a pose from one biped to another. Copy the pose or posture, select the other biped, and then paste. Copying a posture then using Paste Posture Opposite is particularly useful for copying the posture of an arm or leg or a part of an arm or leg onto the opposite arm or leg of the same biped. Both Paste Posture and Paste Posture Opposite work differently in and out of Figure mode.
770 Chapter 14: Character Studio 3. Click Posture to toggle Posture mode and then click Copy Posture. The thumbnail image appears in the image window below the Copied Postures drop-down list. 4. Rename the posture by editing the name in the Copied Postures name field. The posture of the set of selected objects in the biped is copied to the list. You can retrieve this posture and use it to paste (or paste opposite) to any biped at any frame.
Mirroring Motion Shortcut Meaning ALT+C Copy Posture ALT+V Paste Posture ALT+B Paste Posture Opposite Mirroring Motion Mirror, on the Keyframing Tools rollout (page 2–816), mirrors the motion of the biped through both the X and Y axes of the World coordinate system. The entire biped animation, including all footsteps and keys, is mirrored symmetrically through an axis that joins the center for the biped to the world origin.
772 Chapter 14: Character Studio Layers allow you to easily adjust raw motion capture data containing keys at every frame. Simply add a layer, and keyframe the biped. You can also use layers to change the global position of the biped in a freeform or footsteps animation by adding a layer and moving the center of mass. Procedures To increment all keys using layers (global offset): 3.
Editing Trajectory Keys Warning: Don’t click the Trajectories button next to Parameters. That is for other scene objects, not bipeds. 4. In the Track Selection rollout, click Body Horizontal. The center of mass object trajectory is displayed. 5. At the top of the panel, below Selection Level, turn on Sub-Object, and choose Trajectories on the drop-down list if it isn’t already displayed. 6. In a viewport, select as many keys as you want on the trajectory. The selected keys turn red in the viewport. 7.
774 Chapter 14: Character Studio Loading, Saving, and Displaying Biped Motion Working with Biped Motion Files character studio uses a variety of file formats to save, load, and edit motion. • BIP file (.bip) The native character studio file format for saving biped motion. A BIP file saves all information about biped motion: footsteps, keyframe settings including limb rotation, the scale of the biped, the active gravity (GravAccel) value, and prop animation.
Importing and Exporting Animation Data There are several ways to create or acquire .bip files: 3. In the file dialog, choose the BIP motion file to • By loading one of the sample animation files that come with 3ds Max. Refer to the installation and support guide for more details. 4. The biped repositions itself in the scene, as it • • load, and then click OK. assumes the initial position of the animation file. You might need to use Zoom Extents to see the biped after it is repositioned.
776 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedure To create a bone animation by exporting to FBX: 1. Create a biped and animate it using any animation tools in 3ds Max or character studio. 2. Choose File menu > Export. 3. On the Select File To Export dialog, choose FiLMBOX (*.FBX) as the file type, name your file, and then click Save. 4. On the Export FBX file dialog, click OK to export your animated biped. more links in the legs, spine, or neck. There are a few ways to perform motion mapping.
Merging and Cloning a Character you might see your biped moving over footsteps that are spaced inappropriately far apart or close together for the size of your biped. Typically, you should leave Scale Stride mode active, unless you want to maintain the spatial relationship between the biped and other objects in your scene.
778 Chapter 14: Character Studio By Name dialog, so the duplicate names are not a problem. The biped and its animation is merged with the scene. To hide the finger, toe, and head dummy objects: The dummy objects for fingers, toes, and the head are visible on the newly merged biped. Usually these dummies are hidden from sight. They are used by Physique to create envelopes for all the finger tips, toe tips, and head; these dummies display when a character is merged.
Combining BIP Motions 2. On the Structure rollout, change the original Mixer scripts are saved as BIP files or MIX files. biped’s root name, as described above. 3. Merge the saved biped, as described in the previous procedure, “To merge a skinned biped.” The original biped, with its Physique modifier, is cloned. It appears in the same location as the original biped. 4. On the Motion panel, on the Biped rollout, turn on Move All Mode. 5.
780 Chapter 14: Character Studio Using Motion-Capture Data Correcting Posture Besides animating a biped with footsteps or with keyframing (freeform animation), you can import a motion-capture file. The overall workflow for motion capture is straightforward: A particular motion file might position a biped body part inappropriately. For example, the collarbones might be rotated down too far, affecting your mesh deformation.
Copying and Pasting Tracks Restructuring a Biped to Match a BIP File When you load a BIP file, there is an option to restructure the biped to match the file. If you turn this on when you load the file, the biped’s structure will change to match the figure of the biped in the BIP file. Talent Figure Mode and Adjust Talent Pose Talent Figure Mode and Adjust Talent Pose on the Motion Capture rollout have a purpose similar to that of Figure mode.
782 Chapter 14: Character Studio • The Paste Horizontal, Paste Vertical, and Paste Rotation buttons in the Paste Options group (page 2–826) become active. For hands-on experience in using Copy and Paste Tracks, see the lesson called Creating a Simple Freeform Animation in the tutorial Animating with Freeform. Procedure • If the biped uses freeform or footstep animation, use Move All mode. This is also the easiest way to move a biped that is not animated.
Repositioning the Biped 3. Note: Depending on the animation, at some of Turn off Move All Mode. attached object’s keys you might need to set IK Blend back to 0.0. Otherwise, the limb can get “stuck” in a posture. To reposition a biped with limbs attached to an Object Space object (IK attachment): 1. Create a dummy object and position it near the biped’s center of mass. 2. On the main toolbar, use Select And Link to link both the Object Space object and the biped’s center of mass to the dummy object.
784 Chapter 14: Character Studio animation is blended between the biped’s new position and its previous position at frames where the key is set. Previewing Biped Motion There are two types of animation playback available within character studio: • • You can use the Play Animation button in the viewport playback controls to play biped animation, the same as you can any other 3ds Max animation.
In Place Mode In Place Mode • Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Expand rollout > Modes group > In Place button on In Place flyout In Place mode (page 3–1050) allows you to display biped motion as if it were occurring on a treadmill. Regardless of the distance the biped covers under control of the current motion file, the biped stays within the active viewport when you’ve turned on In Place Mode.
786 Chapter 14: Character Studio 5. Find a frame where the biped needs adjustment, and modify or add keys. Trajectory Display When a biped is animated, you can view its motion not only using Biped Playback, but you can also see the path, or trajectory, the biped (or selected biped links) follows throughout the motion. Note: Trajectories do not display while you play an animation using In Place mode.
Biped User Interface Motion panel, which is visible when a biped is selected. There are four modes available: Figure mode is used to change the biped skeletal structure and to align the biped to a mesh. Footstep mode is used to create and edit footstep animation. Motion Flow mode is used to create scripts that combine motion files into longer animations. Use controls on this dialog to change footstep, trajectory, and playback display.
788 Chapter 14: Character Studio In Figure mode, Structure (page 2–837) is the only additional rollout. In Footstep Mode, the rollouts displayed are: Footstep Creation (page 2–841), Footstep Operations (page 2–842), and Dynamics & Adaptation. In Motion Flow mode, Motion Flow (page 2–896) is the only additional rollout displayed. In Mixer mode, Mixer (page 2–629) is the only rollout displayed.
Assign Controller Rollout (character studio) • Body Vertical Body Turning (selected with the Body Rotation button) These buttons can be used to select each track in the Track Selection rollout. • Linking the Center of Mass Object Center of Mass Shadow The center of mass shadow object, the circle between the biped’s feet on the world plane, provides a sense of where the character’s center of mass is positioned relative to the feet. Another use of the center of mass shadow is to link objects to it.
790 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Rotation List— When turned on, selects the Rotation controller to be collapsed into the Biped SubAnim track. Scale List— When turned on, selects the Scale controller to be collapsed into the Biped SubAnim track. Collapse section Position—Collapses the Position controller when you click Collapse. Rotation—Collapses the Rotation controller when you click Collapse. Assign Controller— Displays a selectable list of controllers for a selected track.
Biped Rollout See Working with the Workbench (page 2–857). Interface Biped Rollout Select the biped > Motion panel > Biped rollout Use controls on the Biped rollout to put the biped into Figure, Footstep, Motion Flow, or Mixer modes, and to load and save .bip, .stp, .mfe, and .fig files. You’ll find other controls on the Biped rollout, as well. The Modes group on the Biped rollout lets you turn on the Buffer, Bend Links, Rubber Band, Scale Stride, and In Place mode.
792 Chapter 14: Character Studio Motion Flow Mode—Create scripts and use editable transitions to combine .bip files together to create character animation in Motion Flow mode (page 2–894). After creating a script and editing transitions, use Save Segment on the Biped rollout to store a script as one long .bip file. Save a .mfe file; this enables you to continue Motion Flow work in progress. Tip: Use Motion Flow mode to cut motion capture files together.
Biped Rollout Footsteps Operation rollout. The changes can be pasted back by turning off Buffer Mode, turning on Paste Footsteps on the Footstep Operation rollout, and overlapping the buffered footsteps with the original footsteps. The buffered motion is spliced into the original animation. Rubber Band Mode—Use this to reposition the biped elbows and knees without moving the biped hands or feet in Figure mode.
794 Chapter 14: Character Studio In Place Mode—Use In Place mode to keep the biped visible in the viewports while the animation plays. Use this for biped key editing or adjusting envelopes with Physique. It prevents XY movement of the biped center of mass during animation playback; however, motion along the Z axis is preserved. This is a three-button fly-out. In Place mode is stored with the 3ds Max file. Display group Note: The Display group is hidden by default.
Biped Rollout • Show Footsteps—Displays biped footsteps in the viewport, but no footstep numbers. Footsteps are represented as green and blue foot-shaped outlines by default; these are also visible in preview renderings. • Hide Footsteps—Turns off footsteps and footstep numbers in the viewport. Twist Links—Toggles the display of twist links used in biped. Default=on. Leg States—When this button is on, the viewport displays Move, Slide, and Plant at each foot at the appropriate frame.
796 Chapter 14: Character Studio Save As Dialog (Biped) Select a Biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Save File The Save As dialog lets you save .bip, .fig, or .stp files. When saving FIG files (in Figure mode), the Save As dialog is a standard Windows Save File dialog. However, when you save BIP or STP files, you can save objects and animation controllers with the file. Interface • Figure file (.fig)—Saves the structure and position of a biped in Figure mode.
Open Dialog (Biped) Save MAX Objects group Interface Save MAX Objects—When on, any IK, Head Target, or linked object in the scene is saved with the BIP file. Object list—Each object associated with the biped in the scene is displayed here along with its object type. All—When on, all associated objects are saved with the BIP file. Selected—When on, only the highlighted objects are saved with the BIP file.
798 Chapter 14: Character Studio If you select a BIP file saved with a previous version of character studio, the preview will not be visible. After selecting the file for loading, you will be notified that the file is obsolete and should be resaved, unless you have indicated that you no longer want to see this message. Flow mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z axis and creates smooth transitions.
Display Preferences Dialog Controller list—Displays the sub-animation controllers in the BIP file. Note: The only way to eliminate a controller from the animation is to resave the BIP file without it and reload.
800 Chapter 14: Character Studio Playback group Controls in this group limit the number of bipeds to play back when you use Biped Playback on the Biped rollout on the Motion panel. Show Time—Displays frame numbers in the viewport during playback. All Bipeds—Lists all bipeds in the scene. Select a biped name in the window and click the right arrow to move it into the list of bipeds that will be visible during playback with Biped Playback.
Track Selection Rollout Tip: You can scale the Transform gizmo using the - (hyphen) and = (equal sign) shortcut keys. Scaling the gizmo makes it easier to use, but does not affect the transform values. 3. Select the Move gizmo’s Z axis. This turns off Body Horizontal and turns on Body Vertical. 4. The biped Transform tracks contain the COM keyed data. Turn on Body Rotation on the Track Selection rollout. The Move Transform gizmo is replaced by the Rotate Transform gizmo.
802 Chapter 14: Character Studio Keyed keys for COM tracks are color coded as follows: • Keys containing Body Horizontal tracks are red. • Keys containing Body Vertical are yellow. 5. Reselect the biped COM either by selecting the blue octahedron near the center of the biped’s pelvis, or by clicking one of the three COM track controls. Lock COM Keying restores the selected controls. Interface • Keys containing Body Rotation are green.
Quaternion/Euler Rollout an airborne period. This means that keys do not need to be created at the lowest position of the biped after landing; a trajectory is calculated automatically. Note: Keys can be created manually to override the calculated trajectory during the landing period. However, vertical keys must have Dynamics Blend=0.0 in order to fully override the trajectory during the airborne period. Body Rotation—Selects the center of mass to edit biped rotational motion.
804 Chapter 14: Character Studio In the Motion Panel, on the Quaternion/Euler rollout, notice that the Quaternion option is active by default. Note: If you change options for that biped limb, your choice is preserved in the 3dsmax.ini file, from which it is restored after a scene reset or session change. 6. On the Biped Apps rollout, click Workbench to open it. 8. Choose a different axis ordering from the Axis Order drop-down list (under the Euler option).
Twist Poses Rollout Twist Poses Rollout Select a biped. > Motion panel > Twist Poses rollout The toolset of this rollout lets you create and edit twist poses for a biped’s limbs. You can either use the rollout’s preset poses (which you can modify and rename), or create your own. When you add a new pose, you establish a reference between the selected’s limb relative orientation and the rollout’s Twist value of 0 (which means no twist).
806 Chapter 14: Character Studio 2. Exit Figure Mode. Then, expand the Twist Poses rollout. 3. Select the right upper arm. The rollout controls are enabled because you selected a three-DOF limb. 4. Use Previous Key and Next Key to cycle through the different pose presets. 6. Click Set. This assigns the Twist value of 0 to the upper arm’s twist links. Note: A twist change is always reflected on both sides (in this case, both upper arms). 7.
Bend Links Rollout This new pose resets the current Twist value of the twist links. 9. Rotate the upper arm locally around its X axis. The twisting in the upper arm is calculated based on the limb’s proximity to the saved poses. Note: Changing the Twist value automatically resets the current limb’s orientation to the active twist pose. Bias—Sets the distribution of rotation along the twist links. A setting of 1.0 concentrates the twist towards the top link while a setting of 0.
808 Chapter 14: Character Studio This toolset combines the Bend Links Mode, previously located on the Biped rollout, with other tools to allow an easier control over a chain link, such as a biped spine, neck or tail. Note: Activating one of the Bend Links rollout modes deactivates any of the others. However, clicking Zero Twist or Zero All maintain any mode currently active. Note: The Bend Links rollout is displayed in Mixer Mode, Motion Flow Mode or Footstep Modes.
Key Info Rollout extremities. Adjust the Smoothing Bias control to distribute the chain’s rotation towards the base or top link. Interface Bend Links Mode—This mode can be used to rotate multiple links of a chain without having to select all of them beforehand. Bend Links Mode transfers the rotation of one link to the other links, following a natural curvature. Note: Using Bend Links Mode in Auto Key mode or setting a key after twisting results in keys on all the links of the selected chain.
810 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Set IK constraints and pivots for the biped hands and feet. When the Body Vertical Center Oof Mass track is selected, you can change the vertical dynamics of the motion, on a key-by-key basis. When the Body Horizontal Center Of Mass track is selected you can change the balance factor for shifts in weight distribution. Note: The areas of the Key Info rollout are divided up into several groups: Tcb, IK, Head, Body, and Prop.
Key Info Rollout Use this to fine tune keyframe timing on a character by moving a key backwards and forwards in time. In a Footstep or Freefrom animation, all footsteps that do not slide should have Join To Previous IK Key turned on. Set Key—Creates keys at the current frame when you are moving biped objects. This is identical to Set Key on the 3ds Max toolbar. Set Sliding Key—Sets a biped key with IK Blend=1, Join To Previous IK Key turned off, and Object selected in the IK group.
812 Chapter 14: Character Studio with the filtered trajectory on the biped. This assumes a motion capture file has been loaded. • Changing Dynamics Blend for a center of mass vertical key or changing the value of GravAccel will change gravity in a foostep animation and will therefore affect the trajectory. Simple—Collapses the lower part of the Key Info rollout, for simplified viewing. The TCB graph is a stylized representation of the animation around a single key.
Key Info Rollout Bias—Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key. Default=25. High Bias pushes the curve beyond the key. This produces a linear curve coming into the key and an exaggerated curve leaving the key. Low Bias pulls the curve before the key. This produces an exaggerated curve coming into the key and a linear curve leaving the key. The default setting distributes the curve evenly to both sides of the key.
814 Chapter 14: Character Studio Head group The Head group lets you define a target object for the target to look at. Target Blend—Determines the extent to which the target blends with the head’s existing animation. A setting of 1.0 causes the head to look directly at the target, 0.5 causes the head to blend half of its existing animation with looking at the target, and a setting of 0.0 causes the head to ignore the target, maintaining its existing animation.
Key Info Rollout The Balance Factor determines how far the biped’s hips will shift forward or backward to compensate for forward or backward bending of the spine. When the biped has a normal weight distribution between the upper and lower body, the default value of 1 causes the hips to swing backward as the biped bends over to compensate for the forward weight. At times, when the biped leans, you will want the biped’s hips to refrain from shifting to compensate for the forward weight.
816 Chapter 14: Character Studio Hand coordinate space for position and rotation at the current frame. Position Space—Lets you set the prop position space to World, Body, Right Hand, or Left Hand. Note: Separate Tracks are intended to be used as a preference. Turning Separate Tracks off and on will result in a key being stored for every biped object in the limb for the frames where any biped keys previously existed.
Set Multiple Keys Dialog Set Parents Mode—When a limb key is created, keys are also created for the parent objects also if Set Parents Mode is turned on. Use Set Parents Mode with Separate Tracks turned on. Set Parents Mode stores the position of the entire limb when a biped limb is moved using inverse kinematics instead of rotated using forward kinematics.
818 Chapter 14: Character Studio in a Move state for example (Move is the leg state between footsteps). Twist—Sets the amount of local X axis rotation of Interface Select Multiple Keys group each tail object. These controls allow you to select keys according to the foot state at that frame. This is very helpful when you want to apply an increment to all keys of a particular type in a particular track. • First, select the tracks you want: Left Leg, Right Leg, Body Horizontal, Body Vertical.
Copy/Paste Rollout the way copied animation data is organized when it is transferred between files within a session: • You can display smaller sets of poses, postures, and tracks in the list. • You can load more than one CPY (page 3–1019) file into a single scene. • You can either append a loaded set to an existing one or replace it entirely. Note: You must create a copy collection before you can copy a biped’s posture, pose or track.
820 Chapter 14: Character Studio 2. Then, select the Lower collection and save it as well. On the Copy/Paste rollout, click Create Collection and rename it Upper. 7. 3. 8. Create a new biped and load the Upper collection. 9. For every 10 frames, select the biped’s upper body and paste the corresponding posture from the Copied Postures drop-down list. Set a key for each pasted posture. 10.
Copy/Paste Rollout To capture different snapshots: 1. Under the thumbnail snapshot of the Copied Postures group, click Capture Snapshot from Viewport. 2. Rotate your current viewport to different user views and copy a biped posture. Notice that your snapshot matches the viewport angle. The biped with offset position and orientation 3. Click Capture Snapshot Automatically and copy a posture again. Notice that your snapshot is displayed from a frontal view. 4.
822 Chapter 14: Character Studio Example: To maintain COM offsets using By Velocity: 1. Create a biped. Then, on the Track Selection rollout (page 2–800), turn on Body Horizontal. 2. Set a key at frame 0. Then, make sure Pose mode is selected and copy your biped’s pose. 3. Go to frame 10 and move the Body COM 50 units in the Y axis. Set a new key. 4. In the Paste Options group (page 2–826), enable Paste Horizontal but leave By Velocity unchecked. Go to frame 30 and paste your biped’s 5. pose.
Copy/Paste Rollout 12. Set Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Copied and paste the posture. The copied value information is transferred to this new key. The key values are now 10 and 50 for the Ease To/Ease From, 5 for the TCB, and 0.5 for the IK Blend. The box is still the IK Object and Object Space remains selected. Also notice that the hand is the only keyed limb. 13. The original biped (left) and the new biped with box (right) 7.
824 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Delete Collection—Removes the current collection from the scene. Delete All Collection—Removes all collections from the scene. Max Load Preferences—Displays a dialog with options for actions to take upon Max file open. Keep Existing Collections—When on, sets biped to overwrite the existing Copy/Paste Buffer upon load. Default=Off. Load Collections—When on, sets biped to load the Copy/Paste buffer from the incoming file, appending the current buffer.
Copy/Paste Rollout name is currently displayed in the Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list. Delete All—Deletes all the buffers in the Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list. Posture mode Copy Posture—Copies the posture of the selected biped objects and saves it in a new posture buffer. Paste Posture—Pastes the posture of the active buffer onto the biped.
826 Chapter 14: Character Studio No Snapshot—When chosen, replaces the snapshot with a gray canvas. Show/Hide Snapshot—Toggles maximize/minimize of the snapshot view. Paste Options group The Horizontal, Vertical and Rotation copy options found in previous versions of character studio have been replaced by the Paste Options. By default, copying poses or postures with the COM selected copies all three COM tracks.
Layers Rollout Layers Rollout Select the Biped > Motion panel > Layers rollout Controls in the Layers rollout allow you to add layers of animation above the original biped animation. This is a powerful way of making global changes to your character animation. For example, simply add a layer and rotate the spine forward at any frame, and a run cycle becomes a crouched run. The original biped motion is kept intact and can be viewed by switching back to the original layer.
828 Chapter 14: Character Studio 1. Prepare a biped with IK keys on its feet, and its left hand constrained to an IK object. 2. Select your biped and expand the Layers rollout on the Motion panel. 3. 3–760). Create a new layer and rename it Low center of mass. The Retarget Left Arm button in the Retargeting group becomes active, which indicates that the current layer honors the IK constraint of the base layer for this body part. Turn on Auto Key mode (page 4. 5.
Layers Rollout Only the biped’s left hand constraint is honored. 7. In the Retargeting group, turn on both Retarget Left Leg and Retarget Right Leg. Then, click Update. The biped’s IK feet are adjusted to match those of the base layer. The animation keys are updated to reflect the current layer’s retargeted feet. Tip: If some body parts assume odd positions, simply drag the time slider (page 3–748) a few frames past your current frame, and then drag it back home.
830 Chapter 14: Character Studio Exit Figure Mode. 5. 6. Keep Disproportionate Biped selected and expand the Layers rollout. 7. Click Select Reference Biped and select your original biped in the viewport. Disproportionate Biped adopts the animation from the reference biped, whose name is now displayed next to the Select Reference Biped button. The animated biped on the left and Disproportionate Biped on the right 3. Select Disproportionate Biped and enter Figure Mode (page 2–835).
Layers Rollout 11. Use Previous layer and Next Layer to switch between the original and Retargeted Biped layers. The base layer displays the non-targeted motion while Retargeted Biped shows an adjusted motion that matches both hands and feet from Disproportionate Biped with the original biped. 12. You can continue animating the biped to your liking. Collapse your layers when you are satisfied. Interface Both hands are retargeted to honor the base layer IK constraints. 10.
832 Chapter 14: Character Studio Create Layer—Creates a layer, and the Level field increments. Position the biped to create keys in a layer. Delete Layer—Deletes the current layer. All layer numbers ‘above’ the one deleted are decremented by one. Collapse Layers—Collapses all the layers into layer 0. Legs that stray from the original footsteps in higher layers are "pulled in" to the original footsteps. Snap Set Key—Snaps the selected biped part to its original position in layer 0 and creates a key.
Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout IK Only—When on, the biped’s constrained hands and feet are retargeted only during the frames on which they are IK controlled. When off, the hands and feet are retargeted during both IK and FK keys. Default=off. Interface Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout Select the biped. > Motion panel > Dynamics & Adaptation rollout The controls on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout let you specify the way you want to create biped animation.
834 Chapter 14: Character Studio Footstep Adapt Locks group Lock specified tracks to prevent automatic adjustments being made to those tracks when footsteps are moved in space or edited in time. All the locks except for Time work for footstep editing in space. Time locks upper body keys when footsteps are edited in time (Track View). Adapt Locks only applies to a Footstep animation, not a freeform animation.
Figure Mode Structure Rollout (Figure Mode) Figure Mode Select the Biped > Motion Panel > Biped rollout > Figure mode While Figure mode is active, you can change biped structure and fit that structure to a character mesh. It can be used for a variety of other procedures as well. • Figure mode is a reference position to fit a biped to a mesh. Use Figure mode to fit a biped to the mesh representing your character.
836 Chapter 14: Character Studio to scale a complete character (a complete character has a biped and mesh attached with Physique). • Reverse-Knee Characters. If your character mesh has reverse knees, rotate the biped calves or thighs along the local X axis 180 degrees in Figure mode; the biped local X axis is along the length of the limb. character studio assumes you want a reverse knees character if the calves or thighs are rotated past 90 degrees in the local X axis.
Structure Rollout for the thumb (refer to the image). A User view and toggling back and forth between a shaded and wireframe display is helpful when fingers are positioned. This enables the input fields for all biped limbs. Note: Horse Link is only available if your biped has 4 leg links. 4. Set Forearm to 5. Both forearms have 5 twist links. Structure Rollout Select the biped.
838 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Tail Links—Sets the number of links in the biped tail. A value of 0 specifies no tail. Default=0. Range=0 to 25. Ponytail1/2 Links—Sets the number of Ponytail Links. Default=0. Range=0 to 25. You can animate hair with ponytail links. Ponytails are linked to a character’s head and can be used to animate other appendages. Reposition ponytails in Figure mode and use them to animate a character’s jaw, ears, nose, or anything that should move with the head.
Structure Rollout centerline of the foot block, from the heel to the toe. Ankle Attach=0.25 and Ankle Attach=0.5 A value of 0 places the ankle attachment point at the heel. A value of 1 places the ankle attachment point at the toes. Click the spinner up arrow to move the ankle attach point toward the toes. Range=0 to 1. Height—Sets the height of the current biped. Use to size the biped to your mesh character before Physique is attached.
840 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: If a limb has twists, the twist links will control the skin deformation while the base link (the biped’s forearm, for example) drives the animation. Twist links can not be animated. Footstep Mode Rollouts Twists—Enables twist links for biped limbs. When enabled, twist links become visible but remain frozen. You can unfreeze them using Unfreeze By Name or Unfreeze By Hit on the Freeze rollout (page 1–54).
Footstep Creation Rollout Footstep Creation Rollout Select a Biped with footsteps > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Footstep Mode > Footstep Creation rollout The Footstep Creation rollout, available on the Motion panel when Footstep mode is on, provides controls for creating and editing footsteps. Create a walk, run, or jump footstep pattern using these controls.
842 Chapter 14: Character Studio alternates right and left footsteps as you create new ones. Press Q to toggle between a left and right footstep. Newly created footsteps are bright green for right footsteps and bright blue for left footsteps. Once the footsteps have been activated, the footsteps change color to pastel green and pastel blue. Create Footsteps (insert at current frame)—Create footsteps at the current frame. Footstep creation alternates between left and right footsteps.
Footstep Operations Rollout Interface If any footsteps exist that have not been activated, the Copy button is grayed. Activate the footsteps first, then try again. Tip: Turn on Buffer mode on the Biped rollout to view and edit only the buffered footsteps and biped motion. Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps—Activates all inactive footsteps. Activation creates default keys for any footsteps that do not have them.
844 Chapter 14: Character Studio first step and end of the last step are also copied and pasted. Bend—Bends the path for the selected footsteps. The path is bent to the left or right as you move the spinner. Other footsteps after the selected footsteps will be moved to maintain their positions relative to the repositioned footsteps. Width—When Width is selected, Scale changes the stride width of the selected footsteps. Length and Width may both be active at the same time.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Walk To make the biped walk in place: • In the First Step group, Set Parametric Stride Length to zero. To make the biped walk backward: • In the First Step group, set Parametric Stride Length to a value less than zero. The absolute value of the Parametric Stride Length is still the length of the stride. To make the biped speed up as it walks: 1. In the Timing group, click Interpolate. The controls in the Last Step group are enabled. Walk gait is selected.
846 Chapter 14: Character Studio When Auto Timing is selected, these parameters are automatically adjusted to reasonable values. Control the footstep sequence by adjusting the Stride Length and Time To Next Footstep parameters. When Auto Timing is off, you can control the footstep sequence by adjusting the gait timing parameters, but you can’t change the Time To Next Footstep parameter. make the biped walk in place. A negative stride length will make the biped walk backwards.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run Time to Next Footstep—Specifies the number of frames in each foot movement cycle. A cycle starts with the frame that a foot touches the ground, continues as the foot lifts and moves, and ends with the frame before the foot touches the ground again. This parameter is only enabled if Auto Timing is on. Speed—Displays the number of units the biped will move per frame. It changes in response to changes in the other parameters but cannot be adjusted directly.
848 Chapter 14: Character Studio Parametric describes the parameter in terms of biped anatomy, and Actual describes the value in 3ds Max units. By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes over time. When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out. Biped creates all the footsteps using only the parameters under First Step. Start After Last Footstep—Appends the newly created footsteps to the end of the existing footstep sequence.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump Actual Stride Length—Sets the stride length for the new footsteps in 3ds Max units. The same rules apply as for Parametric Stride Length (described above). Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric Stride Length. Run Footstep—Specifies the number of frames each footstep will be on the ground during the run.
850 Chapter 14: Character Studio box is cleared, the footsteps will be either right or left steps, causing the biped to hop on one foot. Number of Footsteps—Determines the number of new footsteps to be created. Parametric Stride Width—Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis width. A value of 1.0 produces a stride width equal to the pelvis width. A value of 3.0 produces a wide, waddling stride. Changes to this setting automatically change the Actual Stride Width.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump Adjusting Parametric Stride Length automatically changes the value for Actual Stride Length. Speed—Displays the number of units the biped will move per frame. This changes in response to changes in the other parameters but cannot be adjusted directly. The following two parameters are only enabled when Auto Timing is off. You can use these parameters instead of Auto Timing to control the speed of the forward motion over the series of footsteps. Stride Length=0.
852 Chapter 14: Character Studio Convert to Freeform or Footsteps Dialogs Select the Biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Convert When you click Convert on the Biped rollout of the Motion panel, a Convert To dialog displays: Convert to Freeform or Convert to Footsteps, depending on the animation method of the currently loaded motion. Use Convert to Freeform for unrestricted key editing or Convert to Footsteps to take advatage of footsteps.
Footstep Mode Dialog Convert to Footsteps dialog • Create a freeform period between footsteps. • Select the right or left edges of footstep blocks or the whole block. Interface Generate a key per frame—Creates a key at every frame, and extracts footsteps based on foot IK Blend values equal to 1. Save Segment in Motion Flow mode stores the active script as a .bip file without footsteps. The biped foot keys are assigned IK Blend values of 1 for the original footstep keys. After loading a .
854 Chapter 14: Character Studio Double Support—Displays the number of overlapping frames in which both feet are in contact with the ground. The freeform area appears as a yellow block between the footsteps. Footstep Number Display group You can also turn on the following two numbers for the intervals between the footsteps. You can display both numbers at the same time by selecting both boxes. The footstep blocks can have any one of four time settings displayed for them.
Track View (Biped) Select Start of Footstep—Selects the leftmost key for the current footstep selection. Select Entire Footstep—Selects the entire footstep. Select End of Footstep—Selects rightmost key for the current footstep selection. Track View (Biped) Graph Editors menu > Track View - Dope Sheet or Track View - Curve Editor control the motion and animation of the objects in the scene using the keys found on the curves. You can even draw curves directly on the graph.
856 Chapter 14: Character Studio forearms, and upper-arm keys are stored in the clavicle track. All the spine keys are stored in the spine 01 track. Although you can see all of these objects in the Track View hierarchy, they have no transform track, unless you enable them in the Separate Tracks group of the Keyframing Tools rollout (page 2–816). For example, if you rotate a biped foot, a key is created in the biped thigh track. This optimized approach works well in many cases.
Working with the Workbench Freeform Animation It is left to you to create all the keys in a freeform animation; Biped Dynamics is not active and does not recalculate body position. Balance Factor is active in a freeform animation. A completely freeform animation contains no footsteps. To start an entirely freeform animation, simply create a biped and begin keyframing. and provides filters to perform general rotation, position and other biped-specific operations.
858 Chapter 14: Character Studio or body part, depending on what kind of fix is needed. the complete animation, just areas around the problem. For more information, see Fix Panel (page 2–871). Filters Filters are operations that are performed on the specified animation tracks. Unlike fixers, they affect the complete specified time interval, not just the analyzer result. Errors displayed as yellow lines in Curve View If the results aren’t satisfactory, try changing the parameters and fixing again.
Navigating the Workbench Navigating the Tab Panel Simply click the tabs to move from one panel to another. The tools displayed change with each panel. The overall workflow is left to right for the tabs, and top to bottom within each panel. Selections are displayed in lists: clicking a name in a list selects that entry. Operations are usually performed by clicking a button at the bottom of the panel.
860 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: Sometimes a curve will not appear in the display at first. Click Zoom Extents Horizontal and Zoom Extents Vertical to make sure the curve can be seen. The Workbench toolbar lets you choose the type of curve to display and the coordinate space in which it is displayed. For example, if you know you are dealing with rotational errors, choose an Rot or Quat type curve. If it is an error of positional data, choose Pos.
Fixing Curves the keys around them. Or you can use the error location merely to identify the keys, then manually make changes using standard interpolation techniques. Right-clicking a key in the Curve view will display the properties dialog that allows for such adjustments. Results of the Analyze operation can be loaded or saved as a file using the Load or Save buttons at the bottom of the interface. Results of the last analysis can be cleared using the Clear button, also found at the bottom of the panel.
862 Chapter 14: Character Studio Biped limbs with only one degree of freedom (DOF), such as forearms and lower legs, are controlled with a single TCB/Euler curve. • Vertical dotted lines represent a change in pivot points. Note: Keys set to Join to Prev IK Key (page 2–758) are locked in value until the next un-joined key.
Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation Tip: Euler tangents can be preserved when creating a unified motion by turning on A Keyframe Per Frame in the Unify Options dialog (by clicking Create Unified Motion in the Motion Flow Scripts Group (page 2–900)). Extreme tangents on a Euler rotation curve Using Euler animations with Layers, Motion Mixer, and Motion Flow Both Euler tangents and quaternion TCB data are stored in each keyframe.
864 Chapter 14: Character Studio useful when working with motion-capture data, or other animation that has many keys. Of course, you can also display and manipulate function curves for bipeds in the standard 3ds Max Track View and expanded track bar, as well.
Animation Workbench Interface 1. Tab panels (Select, Analyze, Fix, and Filter). 2. Display Tab panels 3. Display Controllers list Only one curve is displayed because the upper spine rotates in local space by default. 4. Workbench toolbar 5. Curve View 6. Curve View toolbars (same as Track View toolbars). 5. Select the biped’s head. Animation Workbench Tab Panel The Animation Workbench Tab panel consists of four panels: • Select panel—Provides tools to select curves for biped body parts.
866 Chapter 14: Character Studio Use the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar to display and hide the Tab panel. Curve View To the right of the Tab area is the Curve View, where keys and curves for the selected biped parts are displayed. This is the same as the Track View Key window. Curve View Toolbars Biped, Position Curves, respectively, in the Biped toolbar of the Curve Editor (page 2–513). Noise curves represent random position and rotation.
Select Panel Draw While Moving—Sets the Workbench to update the curves as you move keys. When off, curves display as optimized lines until you release the mouse after moving or changing a key. Default=on. Show Layered Edit —When on, displays a graphic tool for adjusting sets of keys along a curve within a range. To set the range, click to highlight one of the square handles, and then drag it. As you drag, the handle follows the curve. Handle follows curve.
868 Chapter 14: Character Studio • On the Select panel of the Animation workbench, click to highlight the name of the body part in the scrollable Selection list. • On the Workbench toolbar, turn on Controllers. In the hierarchy list, highlight the body part track whose curve you want to see. To hide or unhide the Tab panel: 1. Click the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar. The Tab panel disappears from view. 2. Click the Tab button again. The Tab panel returns to view.
Analyze Panel Analyze Panel Select a biped body part. > Motion panel > Biped Apps > Workbench > Analyze panel The Analyze panel provides tools to evaluate the curves for the selected biped parts, and review them for certain error conditions. It can spot spikes and noise in the curves, and locate specific keyframes that are responsible for discontinuous motion. The errors are displayed as brown lines over the curves, and are also listed at the bottom of the Analyze panel.
870 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Note: This is independent of the active 3ds Max time segment. • Active Time Segment—Choose this to use the active time segment, as set by the 3ds Max Time Configuration dialog. • From / To—These values let you specify a range with a particular start and end frame. Analyzers group Analyzers drop-down list—Lets you choose which analyzer will be used to evaluate the curves. Each analyzer can present its own individual settings.
Fix Panel which the animation departs from its overall pattern. • Knee Wobble —Finds knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted. Uses Frame and Fluctuation parameters to determine what is a wobble error. • Knee Extension—Finds knees that overextend when a foot is planted. Uses a Knee Angle parameter to determine extension errors. Property drop-down list—Lets you choose the Error results list—Displays all errors that the analyzer finds.
872 Chapter 14: Character Studio value of a key or remove keys to produce corrected motion. The results of last analysis are displayed in the Analyze Results list. Clicking an error in the list once displays the error as a yellow line over the curve; clicking the error twice updates the viewport scene, making the error the current frame. Errors can be sorted by Part or by Time. Fixes can be applied to individual errors, selected errors, or to all errors at once. 3. Click Fix All. 4.
Fix Panel Interface Fixers—Determines the method used to attempt to correct the errors found by the analyzer. In general, try to match the fixer to the analyzer property. For example, if you have selected a Noise detector with Rot Speed, then choose a Fixer with Rot in the name as well. The exception to this would be when it is obvious that you’d prefer to remove the keys rather than modify them. In that case, choose a Remove Keys fixer.
874 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Knee Wobble —Fixes knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted. Uses a Knee Angle value as criteria for error status. • Knee Extension—Fixes knees that overextend when a foot is planted. Uses a Fluctuation value as criteria for error status. Fixer parameters Individual fixers display different parameters. These include: • Width—Determines how much of the curve is affected around the keyframe. All the Fixers except for Remove Keys display this parameter.
Filters Panel Procedure Interface To filter a track: 1. Choose the parts you want to filter: either just a particular curve, or an entire selection. 2. Choose the time range you want to filter: either the entire biped animation, the active time segment, or a custom range. 3. Choose the filter you want to apply. Adjust its individual parameter as required. 4. Click Filter at the bottom of the panel. 5. Observe the effect on the graph in the Curve view. 6.
876 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Active Time Segment—Sets the time to filter to be the scene active time segment. You set the active time segment in the 3ds Max Time Configuration dialog. • From / To:—Sets the time to filter to a custom range of frames. Filters group Filters list—Choose the filter to use from this drop-down list. The available filter types include smoothing, blurring, boosting, key reduction, and subanims.
Filters Panel Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters Width— Width is the size of the filter kernel width in frames. It tells you how much of the animation is taken into effect when filtering a specified keyframe. to a biped subanim, and then collapse it by right-clicking and choosing Properties. The difference between using this in the Motion panel and in the Workbench is that you can apply subanims to multiple biped objects in one step when using the Workbench filter.
878 Chapter 14: Character Studio Using Motion Flow Working with Motion Flow Select a biped > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode Motion flow mode provides an area to graphically arrange clips into a network and tools to create and edit transitions between clips. Motion flow mode is used to organize clips into a network to animate one or more bipeds. The network of clips are joined together by transitions. A motion flow script is used to associate the network of clips with the biped.
Placing Motions on the Motion Flow Graph 5. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Create Clip 6. Click a few times inside the Motion Flow Graph dialog. Clip icons will appear in the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–897) that are named clip1, clip2 and so on. Motion Flow Graph The first step in Motion Flow mode is to add clips in the Motion Flow Graph for use in scripts. Clips represent all or part of a .bip file. Transitions represent different paths through the clips in the Motion Flow Graph.
880 Chapter 14: Character Studio To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph: 1. On the Motion Flow rollout, click the Show Graph button to open the Motion Flow Graph. 2. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Create Multiple Clips. The Open dialog appears. Use it to choose the location of your .bip files. 3. While holding down the CTRL key, choose multiple clips in the Open dialog. Once processed, multiple clips appear in the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–897) window.
Creating Transitions Once processed, multiple clips appear in Motion Flow Graph (page 2–897). 4. 6. At the Biped dialog, click Yes to create transitions from each selected clip to itself. Turn on either Create Transition From -> To or Create Transition To <- From on the Motion Flow Graph toolbar and then drag from one clip to another clip. Possible transitions from one clip to the next are automatically generated.
882 Chapter 14: Character Studio 3. Click OK. A processing bar scrolls across the top of the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–897). Creating a Motion Flow Script Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode A script is a list of clips (.bip files) that controls the character you are animating.
Saving, Loading, and Appending Motion Flow Graphs For information on how to set up the graph, see To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–880). 2. 4. Click the Play Animation button to see the biped move to the scripted clips. 5. Click Stop Animation. Change the Start Frame setting to 25 and move the frame slider. In the Scripts section of the Motion Flow rollout, click Define Script, and then select a sequence of clips from the Motion Flow Graph dialog (page 2–897).
884 Chapter 14: Character Studio script from one biped and load it onto another biped. Saving, loading, and appending .mfe files are done from the Motion Flow rollout. Procedure To save Motion Flow Editor files: 1. Create a Motion Flow Graph with three or more motion files. For information on how to set up the graph, see To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–880). A sample script called Kicking Script containing four clips 2.
Customizing Transitions To load Motion Flow Editor files: 1. Select a biped. Open the Motion panel. 2. On the Biped rollout, click Motion Flow 3. mode . On the Motion Flow rollout, click Load 4. File. The Open dialog is displayed. 5. Select a .mfe file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files are stored. 6. Click Append File. The Open dialog is displayed again. 5. Navigate to the folder where your .mfe files are stored. 6. Choose the file to load. 7.
886 Chapter 14: Character Studio not transition smoothly, you may find it necessary to edit or customize your transitions. There are two ways to manually edit transitions. • In the Motion Flow Graph, you can right click a transition arrow. The stick figures can be positioned far apart during this process. Look for body motions in the two clips that will transition well. 6. • If you have defined a script, highlight a clip and click the Edit Transition button.
Creating Random Motion 7. Choose either Search Entire Clip or Search Near Existing Transition, and click OK. 8. Click OK on the Transition Editor dialog. Note: If you want to create random motion for 9. Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. multiple bipeds, they must be sharing a motion flow. Procedure Creating Random Motion You can randomly traverse clips in a motion flow graph to animate one or more bipeds using controls in the Create Random Motion dialog.
888 Chapter 14: Character Studio A random script is created based on clips in the Motion Flow Graph. You can vary clip and transition percentages in the clip dialog or Transition Editor to favor a clip or transition if you like. when asked if you want to create transitions from each selected clip to itself. 11. Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. Details of Random Motions 6. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Select Random Start Clips.
Unifying Motion A random script is created based on clips in the Motion Flow Graph and the Minimum Animation Length. 12. Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. Unifying Motion 4. Choose a .mfe file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files are stored. The clips and transitions appear in the Motion Flow Graph. Each transition displays its “weighting” value, 100 by default. 5. Click Select Clip/Transition and right-click a transition that you want to adjust.
890 Chapter 14: Character Studio A new layer is created and you see a red skeleton appear on your biped. 10. Turn off Auto Key and click Play Animation. Sharing Motion Flow Shared Motion Flow (page 2–907) allows you to assign one motion flow to multiple bipeds or crowds. Rather than building a motion flow network of clips for each biped, you can create a motion flow with all the clips and transitions to animate multiple bipeds. Random motion creation will use each biped’s own motion flow.
Sharing Motion Flow Procedure Example: To share a random motion flow among multiple bipeds: 1. Create three bipeds. 2. On the Biped rollout, turn on Motion Flow Mode . 3. On the Motion Flow rollout, click Show Graph. This displays the Motion Flow Graph. 4. 8. Click Create Multiple Clips and add at least four clips to the Motion Flow Graph. The Open dialog appears where you can choose the location of your .bip files. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Select Random Start Clips.
892 Chapter 14: Character Studio 18. Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. To apply a shared motion flow to a different group of bipeds: New in character studio is the ability to save and load shared motion flow setups. With this facility, you can create and refine a crowd simulation using bipeds that don’t have meshes attached, thus avoiding the computational overhead that Physique requires.
Setting Up Paths for Motion Flow Files The shared motion flow is loaded and applied to the new set of bipeds. The biped names appear in the dialog list. If “(wrong scale)” appears after any biped names, use the Reset Wrong Scales buttons to correct the scales. 6. Click the Put Multiple Bipeds In Motion Flow button to place all of the bipeds in the list in Motion Flow mode, and then click OK to exit the dialog. 7. Play the animation to ensure that it’s correct, and then render.
894 Chapter 14: Character Studio Motion Flow User Interface Motion Flow Mode Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode 2. If any of the referenced .bip files are on your local drive, navigate to the folder where they reside and select the .bip file. 3. Turn on the Add Directory To .ini File option, and click Open. Turning on the Add Directory To .ini File option automatically adds another MoFlowDir= line to your biped.ini file.
Motion Flow Mode example. For a crowd, you must share one motion flow script among many bipeds. If you are driving a crowd using delegates and behaviors, then rather than a completely random motion, the software picks appropriate clips based on the delegate’s speed and direction. If the delegate slows to a stop, the software will find and use a clip that slows to a stop, if one exists. In all crowd simulations you must load clips and create transitions before synthesizing the crowd motion.
896 Chapter 14: Character Studio transitions. If the optimized transition is not satisfactory, try editing the transition manually. To load, append, or save a Motion Flow Editor, .mfe, file refer to the following procedures: Manual transition editing offers the most control; the Frame spinners in the Ghost areas of the Transition Editor allow you to scrub the source and destination clips while viewing two stick figures. Find a good start frame in both clips using the Frame spinners.
Motion Flow Graph Dialog Save File— Save a Motion Flow Editor (.mfe) file. Saving a .mfe file from a biped having a shared motion flow will save the motion flow and its scripts as if it were not shared. It will be a normal .mfe file. Note: To save a script as a .bip file, use Unified motion to have the scripted motion available when you exit Motion Flow mode. Show Graph— Opens the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–897). The first step in script creation is to add clips to the Motion Flow Graph.
898 Chapter 14: Character Studio transitions. Once the transitions are created, you can quickly create scripts with optimized transitions or generate random motions for a crowd of bipeds. A .mfe file stores pointers to the clips, transition parameters, and scripts. See Placing Motions on the Motion Flow Graph (page 2–878) to add clips to the graph, or Creating Random Motion (page 2–887) to create a random script and transitions.
Motion Flow Graph Dialog Click+drag to one clip from another in the Motion Flow Graph dialog. Click on a single clip and then mouse up to create a loop transition. It is necessary to have this capability in order to create random scripts. You can create transitions which are not included in a script. Zoom Region—Click Zoom Region mode to drag a rectangular region and magnify that region to fill the Motion Flow Graph window.
900 Chapter 14: Character Studio Optimize Selected Transitions—Select one or more transitions and then click Optimize Selected Transition to optimize them. Displays the Transition Optimization dialog (page 2–909) to set the location of the transition. Optimized transitions take time to compute. A progress bar is displayed when you use this feature. Minimum foot sliding is the method used to compute an optimized transition. Show Optimal Transition Costs—Displays costs in the Motion Flow Graph window.
Motion Flow Scripts Group is comprised of the five clips that are selected at random. • Create New Script—Names a new script. Select clips in Motion Flow Graph to create the clip list for the new script. Position the Entire Animation • Redefine Script—Keeps the script name and removes clips in the list. Select clips in Motion Flow Graph to create a new clip list. Use the Position, Rotation, and Start Frame controls to position the entire animation.
902 Chapter 14: Character Studio Paste—Paste a clip from the clipboard. Clip Mode—Edit biped footsteps and limbs for the selected clip. Use Set Key on the Keyframing rollout to set biped limb keys. Edit Clip—Displays the Clip Properties dialog (page 2–910). Change the start and end frame for the current clip, or replace the current clip with another one. You can also set the Random Start Probability here.
Transition Editor and stored in the Transition Editor representing that transition. If, for example, you create 5 different transitions between two clips for one script, all of these transitions are available in a new script that uses the same two clips. Think of Motion Flow Graph as a data storage area; if all of the scripts are deleted, the transitions are preserved and can be stored in a .mfe file. Automatic Transitions When you create a script, default transitions are used between the clips.
904 Chapter 14: Character Studio Probability—Set a probability value for random transitions. This is used by Create Random Motion when a random script is generated. Length—Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition. Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions. Ease In—Ease in value for the source clip. Ease Out—Ease out value for the destination clip.
Transition Editor Ghost group Locate an appropriate start frame for the source and destination clips by using the Frame spinner and viewing the positions of both stick figures, then click Set Start Frame. The destination clip is rotated and positioned to match both bipeds. Use the Angle spinner to reorient the destination clip. Frame—Use the Frame spinner to scrub a stick figure back and forth, which allows you to determine a start frame for the source and destination clips.
906 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: Clicking OK saves the displayed transition. Interface Create Transition is used only if you want to work on a new transition. Delete Transition—Click to delete a transition. Previous Transition—Go to the previous stored transition. This button is grayed if no previous transition exists. Next Transition—Go to the next stored transition. This button is grayed if no next transition exists. OK—Store transitions and exit the dialog.
Shared Motion Flow Dialog order to generate the random motion, but it will be deleted after the random motion is generated. Append to existing script—Appends random motion to the existing script. Create unified motion—Creates a unified motion. The generated motion will be available when you exit Motion Flow mode. If multiple bipeds are in the random calculation, then the motion is unified for each biped. Store as .bip file—Stores the random motion as a .bip file.
908 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface The file contains the shared motion flow graph as well as the scripts for all bipeds sharing the motion flow. Use this facility to speed biped/crowd-simulation setup. Create and refine the crowd simulation with bipeds that don’t use Physique, save the shared motion flow, load or create your final crowd members that use Physique, and then load the shared motion flow. For a procedure, see To apply a shared motion flow to a different group of bipeds: (page 2–892).
Transition Optimization Dialog The crowd system needs Motion Flow mode to be turned on to perform calculations for motion. This is a convenient way of turning on Motion Flow mode for multiple bipeds. Take Multiple Bipeds out of Motion Flow—Take the bipeds in the list out of Motion Flow mode. Set Shared Moflow Leg Scale—Adapts the shared motion flow to the scale of the biped currently selected in the list.
910 Chapter 14: Character Studio Clip Properties Dialog Motion Flow Mode > Motion Flow Graph > Right-click a clip in the Motion Flow Graph window. > Clip Properties dialog Motion Flow Mode > Motion Flow script rollout > Select a clip in the list. > Edit Clip > Clip Properties dialog character is jumping off a rock and you want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn this option off.
Working with Motion-Capture Data commonly used formats. This data can be imported to the biped and used as is, or combined with other motions with Motion Flow (page 2–878) or the Motion Mixer (page 2–581). Motion-capture data typically needs some adjustment before it fits your biped or animation perfectly.
912 Chapter 14: Character Studio through a set of trigonometry functions, the performer’s motion can be analyzed. These design restrictions seem to be quite difficult to overcome, and will probably limit the use of this type of device for character animation. • Acoustic sensing technology Acoustic capture is another method currently used for performance capture. This method involves the use of a triad of audio receivers. An array of audio transmitters are strapped to various parts of the performer’s body.
Filtering Motion-Capture and Marker Data is done using the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters rollout. Other filtering options include footstep filtering and extraction, looping the data, and importing a portion of the motion-capture file. Character Studio Marker Files The .csm format (page 3–1019) is an ASCII file used to import positional marker data from motion-capture systems onto a biped. 3ds Max ships with a variety of raw (unfiltered) motion-capture data files, in .bip, .csm, and .bvh formats.
914 Chapter 14: Character Studio The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog displays (see Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog (page 2–922)). 4. Select a file and click Open. The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog displays (see Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog (page 2–922)). 5. Adjust the filter parameters and click OK. 5. Select the filter options you want and click OK. Note: Load raw marker data (No Key Reduction, Freeform) to enable the marker calibration buttons.
Sliding Footsteps At this point, you can use Convert From Buffer to extract footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized .bip file. Sliding Footsteps Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame. Filtering motion-capture data reduces keys, making the job of altering or personalizing the motion data much simpler. You can create your own library of imported and optimized motion-capture data by saving .
916 Chapter 14: Character Studio Prop Bone Motion Capture User Interface Motion Capture Rollout Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Motion Capture rollout In 3ds Max, the .csm marker file format supports a prop bone in either or both hands (left, right, or middle). There are nine additional markers for the top, bottom, and middle of the three prop types. If these tracks are detected, a 3ds Max dummy object is created.
Motion Capture Rollout Motion-Capture Buffer Raw motion data is automatically stored in the motion-capture buffer when files (CSM, BVH, and BIP) are loaded using Load Motion Capture File (page 2–916). This buffered raw motion data is independent of the biped motion in your scene, and can be used in various ways: • Use Convert From Buffer to try alternate filter settings quickly; this saves you from having to browse for the same file.
918 Chapter 14: Character Studio 2. Use Load Motion Capture File on the Motion Capture rollout to import a motion-capture file. 3. Turn on Show Buffer on the Motion Capture rollout. A red stick figure appears, representing the raw motion-capture data. The biped adapts itself to the motion data. If Footstep Extraction is turned on, footsteps appear.
Motion Capture Rollout 11. Use Save Talent Figure Structure and Save Talent Pose Adjustment to save a size and position offset to a FIG and a CAL file, respectively. Load these files in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog when you import similar marker files in the future. At this point, you can use Convert From Buffer to extract footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized BIP file.
920 Chapter 14: Character Studio mode) and then calibrate limb position. 3ds Max adapts biped keys after biped scale is changed in Talent Figure mode. Orient the biped limbs relative to the markers and click Adjust Talent Pose to apply this offset to the entire animation. Save Talent Figure Structure and Talent Pose to a FIG and a CAL file, respectively. Load a FIG and a CAL before loading a marker file that requires the scale and position offsets contained in these files.
Motion Capture Rollout Ideally, you will not need to use this feature. When loading a motion-capture file, 3ds Max attempts to extract the appropriate figure scale from the given data. Use Talent Figure mode only if the extracted scale of the biped doesn’t match the scale of the original talent. Even minor differences in scale will alter the motion. the character studio marker naming convention. Displays the Marker Name File dialog.
922 Chapter 14: Character Studio Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Motion Capture rollout > Load Motion Capture File button > Open a file. Load motion capture data. > Motion panel > Motion Capture rollout > Convert from Buffer button Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame. Filtering motion-capture data reduces keys, making the job of altering or personalizing the motion data much simpler.
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog ground. The biped, using the filtered data, is positioned higher and cannot reach the ground. Interface Dynamics calculates the biped higher than the raw motion data because the footsteps before and after the handspring are so far apart in time. Creating a freeform period in Track View — Dope Sheet and reloading the same file using the Fit To Existing option will match the biped’s position to the motion-capture position during the handspring. 6.
924 Chapter 14: Character Studio problem associated with motion-capture import. Scale Factor—Multiplies the stored talent size by this value and size the biped accordingly. Inappropriate “sliding feet” in the motion data are corrected. Footstep Extraction group • Fit to Existing—Fits to existing footsteps. Use with motion data that has both footstep motion and flying, swimming, falling, or tumbling motions. First load the motion data using Perform Footstep Extraction.
Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog the ground plane. Use this when filtering motions, such as hopping or pitching a baseball, in which a foot might come off the ground and remain stationary, but its position is not intended as a footstep. • Tolerance—Value is a percentage of leg length. Use the Tolerance and Minimum Key Spacing settings to fine-tune key reduction for a specific track (body part). Specify whether or not to filter a track in the Filter column.
926 Chapter 14: Character Studio Higher values here can determine how much key reduction is possible while preserving the original motion. Limb Orientation group The biped elbow and knee hinge joints are perpendicular to the triangles formed by the shoulder-elbow-wrist and hip-knee-ankle respectively. Resolve errors in the motion-capture data that break this rule by using either the angle or point method.
Marker Display Dialog Marker Display Dialog Physique Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Motion Capture rollout > Show Markers button The Marker Display dialog lets you specify how markers from .csm files are displayed in the viewports. For further information on markers and .csm files, see Character Studio Marker Files (page 3–1014). Using Physique Working with Physique Interface Use the Physique modifier to attach a skin to a skeleton structure such as a biped.
928 Chapter 14: Character Studio • You can make portions of the skin rigid, directly moving along with the skeleton they’re attached to. • You can add bulges to simulate bulging muscles. Bulges are controlled by editable cross sections of the skin, and by bulge angles that you set. • You can add tendons to distribute the effect of one bone’s motion to areas of the skin other than those around the bone itself. • You can save Physique data to a Physique (.
Creating a Skin the torso, legs and arms. In this case, select all the objects and apply Physique to all of them at once. As a general rule, create a reference pose that has the limbs outstretched, but otherwise represents the character’s natural at-rest posture. Posing the Skin When you create a skin to use with a biped figure, you should pose the arms and legs of the skin in a standard reference pose.
930 Chapter 14: Character Studio If you want to use a particular mesh but its polygons violate these guidelines, use 3ds Max to add or delete edges and polygons as needed before applying Physique to the mesh. Usually, these rules are not so important for the facial area of the model, where little deformation will take place with Physique. For example, the character shown below was originally modeled as designed, but with no regard for the best polygon distribution for Physique.
Using Physique with 3ds Max Bones links and envelopes for any character, or to animate assemblies on a robot or mechanical character. Bones can also be added to animate extra appendages, a hat, a jaw and so on. Note: If 3ds Max bones using the IK Controller are linked to the biped, the Auto Key button must be left on while the biped is positioned. This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other. Physique mesh with a biped skeleton. Two examples of compressible bones.
932 Chapter 14: Character Studio Bones That Compress One way to use bones with the biped is to use the Select and Link tool on the 3ds Max toolbar to link the root of the bone to one part of the biped and have the bone End Effector follow another part of the biped. As the biped moves these bones compress and expand. There are many ways to use bones with the biped.
Using Physique with 3ds Max Objects 2. Add a bone where it is needed. 3. Link the root node of the bone to the biped. 4. On the Physique rollout, click Reinitialize. 5. On the Physique Initialization dialog, click Initial Skeleton Pose and then click Include New Bones. Vertex Link Assignment turns on also. 6. Click Initialize. 7. Adjust envelopes in Sub-Object Envelope. 8. Turn off Figure mode.
934 Chapter 14: Character Studio this technique for facial animation or to deform any mesh. To control a mesh with a spline: 1. Place a spline inside a mesh. 2. Select the mesh and add the Physique modifier. 3. In the Physique Floating Bones rollout, click Add and select the spline in the viewports. 4. Select the spline, turn on Vertex Sub-Object, and move the spline vertices to animate the mesh. This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other.
Previewing Motion • Attaching the Physique skin to the skeleton • Initializing Physique appears. This is where you determine the following default settings: Procedure • Whether envelopes should be used to manage the vertex-to-link assignments To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique: 1. Select or create a bones hierarchy.
936 Chapter 14: Character Studio Tip: Physique skins are usually too large for 3ds Max to play them back in real time at 30 frames per second. However, speed improvements in character studio will allow fluid motions of many skinned meshes. When you attempt to play back at 30 fps, 3ds Max may drop frames during playback, which makes it hard to see how Physique has animated the skin. Use the Time Configuration dialog to turn off real time playback.
Envelopes Blending Between Links Blending between envelopes controls deformation. Blending controls specify the influence of overlapping envelopes on vertices contained within the overlap area. By the actual shape of adjacent envelopes, you can control the degree of influence each has on blending at the overlap area. Deformable envelopes (above); Rigid envelopes (below) Typically, you use deformable envelopes when you attach a mesh to the biped pelvis to produce a soft, flexible skin.
938 Chapter 14: Character Studio the inner and outer bound have a weighted value that falls off to 0 at the outer bound. Vertices are color—coded in the viewports according to their weight; the color is based on parameters you specify in the Blending Envelope Display Options Dialog (page 2–976). See also Envelope Sub-Object (page 2–981) Adjusting Default Envelope Shape When you want to address vertex-linking anomalies, the first step is to resize or reposition the envelope about the problem link.
Adjusting Default Envelope Shape Note: With Both turned on, both the inner and outer bounds scale together. To adjust envelopes around the biped’s pelvis: 3. Increase the Parent Overlap value until the inner (red) envelope appears through the mesh. 4. If necessary, decrease the Falloff value to strengthen this envelope. 5. To finish correcting the pelvis area, adjust the Overlap of the thigh and buttock envelopes. To select and edit cross sections: 1.
940 Chapter 14: Character Studio To copy an envelope and its settings to a mirrored link (for example, from one thigh to the other): 1. Select the source link. 2. In the Edit Commands group, click Copy. The envelope settings are saved in a buffer. 3. Select the mirror link, and then in the Edit Commands group, click Paste. The envelope is applied to the opposite link, but without mirroring. It is now the currently selected envelope. 4. In the Edit Commands group, click Mirror.
Customizing Vertex Assignments perhaps movement in the ring finger is causing unwanted movement in some vertices for the middle finger. You’d use Vertex sub-object controls to remove ring-finger vertices from the middle finger links, in effect reassigning them solely to the ring-finger links. When you choose Vertex as the sub-object to edit in the Physique modifier, the Physique Selection Status and Vertex-Link Assignment (page 2–1001) rollouts appear.
942 Chapter 14: Character Studio Choose Initial Skeletal Pose (page 2–950) if you want to work in the position of the mesh and its skeleton at the time Physique was applied. Returning to this pose can be useful if the display becomes confused with the effects of unassigned vertices when the character moves through an animation.
Working with Both Deformable and Rigid Envelopes See also Envelope Sub-Object (page 2–981) Working with Both Deformable and Rigid Envelopes You can assign both Deformable and Rigid to a given link. For example, you might assign both to the shins, and size the envelopes differently to gain the benefits of both. First, size the deformable envelope to affect the whole lower leg area and smoothly transition into the thigh and ankle areas.
944 Chapter 14: Character Studio than 180 degrees, the skin moves toward the joint. On the inside, the side where the joint angle is less than 180 degrees, the skin moves away from the joint. The sliding effect tightens the outside to keep detail at the joint and prevent the facets of the mesh from moving apart. It relaxes the inside to prevent the mesh from bunching up at the joint. • Radial Scale parameters affect the influence on the skin caused by scaling links of the skeleton.
Bulges The resulting deformation will be w1*l1 + w2*l2 + w3*l3 + wf*root. The root portion of this deformation is essentially an undeformed portion that simply follows the root of the skeleton. In Cases where Some Envelopes Use Partial Blending and Some Do Not The vertex weight fill-in in overlap areas will be based on the percentage of partial and non partial weights.
946 Chapter 14: Character Studio Because bulges are optional, you can approach Physique animation in a couple of ways: • Apply only as much detail as you need to get the effect you want for a particular scene in your animation. This is probably the best approach when the Physique animation is meant to be used only once, or is not the main focus of the animation. current joint angle. Bulge angles are not directly associated with keyframe parameters, but are relative to the skeleton’s behavior.
Setting Bulge Angles skin vertices. They are in a Physique rollout for Link sub-objects. See Reinitializing Physique Settings (page 2–949). See also Bulge Sub-Object (page 2–992) Setting Bulge Angles • Influence (how far away the bulge angle is from the current joint angle rotation) • Power (an ease based on the influence of the angle) • Weight (the relative strength of the bulge angle) Keep in mind that bulge angles can be set for arbitrary rotations, and are not limited to single-axis hinge joints.
948 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Adding bulge angles to the links at places where real muscles would bulge. the skin around it. Several parameters control how much the point is pulled in each direction. Once the skin reacts well to the full range of motions, you can then place the character into a less demanding pose and it should work perfectly. You insert the tendon cross section at the location where you want the skin to stretch. You then attach it to the link that influences the movement.
Saving and Loading Physique Data 10. link can have a "squishy" appearance when it is animated. This is appropriate for some animated characters, but not for others. In the Selection Level group, turn on Control Point, then in a viewport, select one or more control points. 11. In the Edit Commands group, turn on Attach, then in a viewport, click a different link. Tendons span the area between the links. 12. Adjust the Pinch, Pull, and Stretch settings to adjust the skin behavior.
950 Chapter 14: Character Studio Reinitializing with changed settings applies them as new defaults in the areas you choose. Reinitializing without changing settings on the Physique Initialization dialog is a method of erasing unsatisfactory changes you’ve made to the Physique settings, again in those areas you specify. See also Reinitialize Physique (page 2–964) Working with an Initial Pose At times, you’ll need to alter the fit of the hierarchy in the Physique mesh, or change its structure.
Scaling a Character Level of Detail Controls The controls in the Physique Level of Detail rollout (page 2–960) help you optimize performance while working with Physique, by letting you specify which skin deformations are refreshed automatically in viewports. The more complex the skin object, the more effective these controls can be at speeding up your work. Note: The 3ds Max renderer also heeds Level of Detail settings. Don’t forget to reset these controls before the final render.
952 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedures To scale a biped that has a mesh attached to it by using Physique: 1. Select the biped. 2. On the Motion panel, on the Biped rollout, turn on Figure mode. 3. On ths Structure rollout, change the biped’s height. The biped and mesh scale together. To reinitialize a scaled mesh: Reinitializing a scaled mesh might be necessary if you use Initial Skeleton Pose in Physique. In this case, the mesh appears at its size before scaling.
Facial Animation Facial Bone Structure A common skeletal structure for the face includes: • Bones to make the upper and lower lips open and close. • Bones to push the outer corners of the mouth, as for a smile. • Bones to make the eyes open and close. • A bone to control the jaw opening and closing. • The main head bone going straight up from the neck to the top of the head. This bone controls the head overall, and any vertices not affected by bones on the eyes, mouth and jaw.
954 Chapter 14: Character Studio your viewers will most likely never notice that they’re separated. If you use a separate head, it will be easier to control the facial animation. If you use a separate head, apply Physique to the head mesh alone. Click Attach to Node and pick the main head bone. Check the links to make sure they extend to the ends of the bones. Then, link the main head bone to the biped head.
Combining Physique with Other Modifiers 1. Select the head and on the Modify panel go to the Vertex sub-object level. 2. Turn on Initial Skeletal Pose 3. Turn on Select, region-select vertices of the lower lip, then click Remove From Link. 4. Select the links of the upper lip, and click Lock Assignments. 5. Region-select vertices of the upper lip, and click Remove From Link. 6. Select links of the lower lip, and click Lock Assignments. Facial expressions animated with Physique and facial bones.
956 Chapter 14: Character Studio vertex remapping or reassigning is done. This is the default option, and usually will give you the deformation that you want. There is no performance degradation from Physique. Remap Locally Remap Locally resets vertex position on the spline used for bending and the link position used to interpolate twist.
Physique User Interface To use an FFD to complement the effects of Physique on a portion of a character mesh: Tip: You can use this procedure to animate clothes or amorphous shapes. 1. Place an FFD (Box) space warp around the mesh to deform. The box should be large enough to encompass the mesh. The number of control points you use for the FFD can be fine-tuned later by going back down in the stack to the FFD to adjust the number of control points. 9. Select the FFD space warp.
958 Chapter 14: Character Studio the Envelope sub-object level to edit the newly created envelopes. Physique Rollout Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout You use the buttons on the Physique rollout to link a mesh to a biped, a bones hierarchy, or a spline; to reinitialize the Physique parameters on a mesh; to open the Bulge Editor (page 2–965); and to load or save Physique (PHY) files. To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique: 1.
Physique Rollout 3. On the dialog, in the Initialize group at the upper left, click to turn on Initial Skeleton Pose. The toggle Include New Bone becomes available. Click to turn on Include New Bone, and then click Initialize. To save Physique data: 1. With Physique active on the Modify panel, click Save Physique File on the Physique rollout. A file save dialog is displayed. 2. Enter a name for the new Physique file, and then click OK. To load Physique data: 1.
960 Chapter 14: Character Studio When you click Open Physique File to load a .phy file, the Physique Load Specification dialog (page 2–974) is displayed. Select the links you want to import in the list on the left of the dialog, and apply them to the links you select in the list on the right of the dialog. Any aspect of your Physique work can be loaded into any other character. You can choose from Link Settings, Bulges, Tendons, and Envelopes.
Physique Level of Detail Rollout Interface • Skin Sliding—Turn off to remove skin sliding influence. Default=on. • Link Blending—Turn off to remove the influence of link blending. Default=on. Rigid—When chosen, forces all vertices to use Rigid assignments rather than Deformable. This is an easy way to isolate deformation problems. It also provides the quickest viewport redraw speed. You might choose this option while adjusting the animation of your skeleton.
962 Chapter 14: Character Studio When vertices are sliding along the length of the spline and you want them to bend and twist based on the spline position, but don’t want vertex weights to change, turn this option on. Reassign Globally—Re-weights, and resets the position on the spline used for bending for moved vertices globally. The vertex link assignment, weighting, and spline position are reset for all moving points on every frame. (This is equivalent to Physique 2.2.
Physique Initialization Dialog Physique Dialogs Physique Initialization Dialog Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Attach to Node. > Select a root object in a viewport. > Physique Initialization dialog Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Reinitialize. > Physique Initialization dialog.
964 Chapter 14: Character Studio Link Settings rollout Reinitializing Old Files The Link Settings rollout contains the default link values that will be assigned to all links. See Link Sub-Object (page 2–986) for a command reference. Files from versions of character studio prior to character studio go through a semi-automatic Physique reinitialization process.
Bulge Editor Note: This toggle does not reassign vertices that you reassigned manually unless you also turn on Vertex-Link Assignments. When using Physique with a biped, turn on Initial Skeleton Pose if you want to use Figure mode to reposition the biped relative to the mesh; for example, to reposition the biped shoulder joints. It is helpful first to turn off the Physique modifier, using the lightbulb icon in the modifier stack display.
966 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: The Bulge Editor works exclusively with bulge angles. To create and edit Tendons, use the Tendons sub-object level (page 2–998). 4. Type a descriptive name in the Current Bulge Angle field. Tip: It is a good idea to change the color of the newly created bulge angle. Do this by clicking Bulge Angle Color at the Bulge sub-object level, and selecting a color with the Color Selector.
Bulge Editor Note: You can’t delete the default bulge angle: a link must always have at least one bulge angle defined. To change a bulge angle value: 1. On the Bulge Editor, make sure the bulge angle you want to reset is displayed in the Current Bulge Angle field. 2. In a viewport, change the angle between the active link and its child link. Rotate a biped limb or use the time slider to move to a frame that has the limb rotated correctly. 3. On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click Set Bulge Angle.
968 Chapter 14: Character Studio 1. Note: You can copy a cross section and paste On the Bulge Editor toolbar, turn on Select And Translate CS. it to a similar cross section on another link. Create a bulge angle and an appropriate cross section on the target link before pasting. If necessary, use Mirror Selected CS after pasting. 2. In Profile view, click to select a cross section. 3.
Bulge Editor Toolbar Select, Scale, and Rotate Control Points—Lets you select, scale, and rotate control points of a cross section in the Cross Section view. This is comparable to using the Move transform on geometry in viewports. Control points are simultaneously scaled and rotated around the link, which in effect "moves" them. Select a cross section in the Profile view first. Then select and move control points in the Cross Section view to change the bulge.
970 Chapter 14: Character Studio Insert Cross Section Slice—Lets you insert a cross section by clicking Profile view in the location you want the cross section to appear. A new cross section is created where you clicked, on either the parent or the child link. Extra cross sections give you more control of how and where the mesh bulges. can enter a descriptive name for any new bulge angle; for example, Arm at 90. By default, one initial bulge angle is created when Physique creates links.
Bulge Editor Cross Section view Cross Section view displays an outline of the active cross section. In Profile view (page 2–971), the active cross section is shown in a bright red color. In Cross Section view, you can edit cross sections to bulge the mesh. Note: It is possible to select multiple cross sections in Profile view using either a rectangular selection region or CTRL+click. This allows you to enter settings on the Cross Sections panel (page 2–972) for all selected cross sections at once.
972 Chapter 14: Character Studio Profile view is a schematic profile of two links. The currently selected link is on the left, and its child link is on the right. If the selected link is an end link, the outline of the right half of the Profile view turns gray. Cross sections are shown as vertical bars across the profile. The active cross section is red. Unselected cross sections are white. Cross sections that are selected but not active are dark red.
Bulge Editor Note: These parameters are the same as those in the Cross Section Parameters group on the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level. Changing a value in one location changes it in the other. points are evenly distributed around the cross section control spline. Above: Divisions=4 Below: Divisions=8 Resolution—Sets the number of radial divisions around the cross section. Control points snap to the nearest resolution line. Cross Sections—Click to display the Cross Sections panel.
974 Chapter 14: Character Studio Physique Load Specification Dialog Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Open Physique (.phy) File. > Choose a file. > Physique Load Specification dialog This dialog appears after you have chosen a Physique (.phy) file to load. It lets you specify which information you want to obtain from the file. Interface This button is enabled only if the number of saved links equals the number of open links.
Vertex-Link Assignment Rollout Interface Blending if you are developing characters for a game engine that doesn’t support blending, or if you intend to use strictly character studio 1-style vertex-link assignments. • 2, 3, or 4 Links—Vertices are influenced by more than one link, but the number of links is limited to 2, 3, or 4, depending on your choice. Choose one of these options if you are developing characters for a game engine whose support of blending is limited.
976 Chapter 14: Character Studio Cross Sections Rollout Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Attach to Node. > Select a root object in a viewport. > Physique Initialization dialog > Cross Sections rollout Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Reinitialize.
Exclude Envelopes Dialog Selected Deformable Envelope and Selected Rigid Envelope groups These two groups have the same controls. By default, deformable envelopes are shown in red, and rigid envelopes are shown in green. Inner Envelope—The check box toggles viewport display of inner envelopes. Click the color swatch to change the viewport color of the inner envelope boundary. • Sides—Sets the number of inner envelope sides shown in the viewport display.
978 Chapter 14: Character Studio Exclude Envelopes for Selected Link list (right side)—Displays envelopes to exclude from the Interface current link selection. The text field displays the name of the selected link, or “Multiple Links Selected.” Right arrow—Select links in the Link Envelopes List on the left, then click the right arrow to add them to the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Link list on the right.
Tendon Display Options Dialog Click the color swatch to change the color of the orientation bar displayed in viewports. Tendon Attach Points—The check box toggles the Note: The orientation bar is displayed in the viewports when the Bulge Editor is open. Click the color swatch to change the color of attach points displayed in viewports. Profile—The check box toggles the display of the Tendon Attached Links—The check box toggles the profile. Default=on. display of attached links. Default=on.
980 Chapter 14: Character Studio weights of specific links that would be difficult to achieve by adjusting envelopes alone. Interface you should lock them, open the Type-In Weights dialog, select the link, and choose Relative Scale. Then you can enter relative values in the Weight field. For example, entering 1.0 leaves weights the same, while entering 2.0 would double the effect of the selected link on the selected vertices. List of links—Displays a list of links, with weight values at the right.
Envelope Sub-Object sub-object controls adjust the way link movement affects the mesh. • Bulge (page 2–992) Bulge controls are for creating flexing muscles. • Tendons (page 2–998) Tendons provide a way for multiple links to affect an area of the mesh. • Vertex (page 2–1001) For Physique, Vertex controls let you fine-tune the influence of envelopes. Physique Selection Status Rollout This rollout appears for all of the Physique sub-object levels.
982 Chapter 14: Character Studio With Initial Skeletal Pose turned on, check that the envelopes enclose all areas of the mesh. If you turn off Initial Skeletal Pose, the character adopts its animated position at the current frame. Use an animation that stretches the character around, such as a run or dance motion. Find a frame where the envelopes need adjusting, and edit the envelope parameters.
Envelope Sub-Object Link—Turn on to select links in the viewports and edit the selected link’s envelope parameters. For example, you might turn on Link, select a biceps link, CTRL+click to add the opposite bicep to the selection, then edit envelope parameters for both links at the same time. Cross Section—Turn on to edit envelope cross sections, changing the envelope’s shape and thus its area of influence.
984 Chapter 14: Character Studio and a deformable envelope, you can use this list to choose which envelope’s parameters you are adjusting. Strength—Changes the strength of the envelopes. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=1.0. Strength applies to both the inner and outer envelope bounds. Used primarily for areas where envelopes overlap, and you want one to be more influential than the other. Falloff—Changes the rate of falloff between the inner and outer bounds of an envelope. This is a Bezier curve function.
Envelope Sub-Object Parent Overlap—Changes the envelope’s overlap with the parent link in the hierarchy. Range= -1.0 to 10.0. Default=0.1. A value of 0.0 causes the end of the envelope to fall on the joint. Values less than 0.0 bring the envelope inside the link, and values above 0.0 will overlap onto the adjoining link. middle finger vertices, exclude the middle finger links from the index finger links. Mirror—Mirrors the envelopes on a selected link, or mirrors selected cross sections in an envelope.
986 Chapter 14: Character Studio The Physique Deformation Spline Link Sub-Object Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Link sub-object level Use parameters at the Link sub-object level to change how deformation around joints occurs. When a joint in the skeleton bends or rotates, Physique, by default, deforms vertices uniformly on either side of a joint. You can change these defaults by using the tools at the Link sub-object level.
Link Settings Rollout Interface Interface Link Settings Rollout (page 2–987) Joint Intersections Rollout (page 2–991) Link Settings Rollout Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Link sub-object level > Link Settings rollout Controls on the Link Settings rollout let you adjust the behavior of the selected link. See also Joint Intersections Rollout (page 2–991) Active—When on, activates the selected link. Default=on.
988 Chapter 14: Character Studio When Continuity is on, the effect of the link parameters passes smoothly across the joint to the connected link. When Continuity is off, Bend, Twist, and Radial Scale settings are limited to the current link, which produces an abrupt transition across the joint. This is analogous to breaking the spline handles on a spline shape. Bulge Editor—Displays the Bulge Editor (page 2–965).
Link Settings Rollout Sliding group Skin sliding parameters control the amount of skin sliding that occurs when a joint rotates. Without skin sliding, vertices closest to the joint tend to compress on the inside and stretch apart on the outside, generally revealing the segments of the mesh. Outside sliding causes the vertices around the joint to move toward the joint, preventing localized stretching on the side that is greater than 180 degrees.
990 Chapter 14: Character Studio Bias—Shifts the effect of radial scaling. At the default value of 0.5, scaling affects both the selected link and the child link. Values lower than 0.5 shift the scaling effect onto the selected link, and values greater than 0.5 shift scaling onto the child link. At 0.0, expansion and contraction are limited to the selected link. At 1.0, expansion and contraction are limited to the child link. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5.
Joint Intersections Rollout Joint Intersections Rollout Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Link sub-object level > Joint Intersections rollout When a joint bends, the skin can "collide." Without collision detection, it can overlap unrealistically. This is especially likely when one or both of the links have bulges. The joint intersection controls can detect skin collisions and correct overlap by creasing the skin.
992 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface that it will have a full effect within the blended region. Default=0.25. Bulge Sub-Object Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Bulge sub-object level After you have edited envelope sub-objects (page 2–981) for good overall mesh deformation, you can create bulges to simulate muscle contraction and expansion when a character’s joint rotates.
Bulge Sub-Object The following paragraphs elaborate these steps. Above: Default bulge angle at the initial pose. Below: Bicep bulges at the custom bulge angle of 90 degrees. The new bulge angle has been assigned a red color. To create a biceps bulge angle, go to the Bulge sub-object level. In the Selection Level group, turn on Link.
994 Chapter 14: Character Studio To copy all Bulge angles from one link to its opposite: 3. Click Insert Bulge Angle. This creates a new bulge angle. The name in the Current Bulge Angle field increments. 1. Go to the Bulge sub-object level. 2. Note: By default, one bulge angle is created by Physique in the initial skeletal pose; the arm is usually straight in this pose. 4. In the Current Bulge Angle field, enter a name, 3. Choose Entire Link from the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list. 4.
Bulge Sub-Object The full list of bulge angle names is displayed. 2. Click the name of the bulge angle you want to delete. 3. Click Delete Bulge Angle. You can’t delete the default bulge angle: a link must always have at least one bulge angle defined. To use Select Nearest Bulge Angle: The Select Nearest Bulge Angle button can help you identify the bulge angle that has the greatest effect at the current pose. 1. In the Selection Level group, click Select Nearest Bulge Angle. 2.
996 Chapter 14: Character Studio Link—Turn on to select links in the viewports. The Copy, Paste, and Mirror commands are enabled for links. Cross Section—Turn on to select and edit cross sections in order to "bulge" the mesh. The Insert, Delete, Copy, Paste, and Mirror commands are enabled for cross sections. Control Point—Turn on to edit cross section control points. Previous and Next—Click to select the next or previous link, cross section, or control point, depending on the selection level.
Bulge Sub-Object Delete Bulge Angle—Removes the current bulge angle from the selected link. You cannot delete the default bulge angle. Influence—The range of angles through which the bulge influences the skin. Range =0 to 180. Default=90 degrees. For example, if you’ve set a bulge angle for the joint at 90 degrees, an Influence value of 40 means that the bulge effect begins to appear when the rotating joint reaches 50 degrees (90 minus 40) or 130 degrees (90 plus 40).
998 Chapter 14: Character Studio Initial Skeletal Pose—When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is, the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off. Finally, adjust the values of Pull, Pinch, and Stretch to refine the movement of the skin. Display Options—Click to display the Bulge Angle Display Properties dialog (page 2–978), which lets you customize the viewport display of bulges. Tendons Sub-Object Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it.
Tendons Sub-Object Selection Level group Link—Click to select a link. Cross Section—Click to select and edit tendon cross sections. Control Point—Click to edit control points on tendon cross sections. Previous and Next—Click to go to the previous or next link, tendon cross section, or control point (depending on the active selection level). Insert Settings group Sections—Sets the number of base cross sections for the tendon. Default=1.
1000 Chapter 14: Character Studio The action depends on the active selection level: Link, Cross Section, or Control Point. Tendon Parameters group Tip: Setting Stretch less than 0.0 can be useful in regions where movement typically pulls the skin inwards, as in the collarbone area or the buttocks. Tip: As a general rule, leave the tendon values at 1.0 when the tendon is attached to a nearby link. For example, leave them at 1.0 between the upper spine (at the chest) and the arms.
Vertex Sub-Object (Physique) Upper Bound—Sets the upper boundary overlap. Upper Boundary values greater than 1.0 affect the child link. Default=1.0. Warning: Tendons that span several links can conflict with joint intersection parameters. In these cases, go to the Link sub-object level (page 2–986), and turn off Active to deactivate the joint intersection parameters for the joints that the tendon spans. (These controls are in the Joint Intersections rollout (page 2–991).
1002 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedures You must use Lock Assignments to ensure that these envelopes will not influence these vertices if envelope parameters are adjusted later. Tip: You don’t have to work locally, one link at a time. You can use region selection to select groups of vertices or groups of links, working with areas of the body and its skeleton all at once. To remove deformable vertices from a link’s influence: To check vertex assignments: 1. Go to the Vertex sub-object level. 1.
Vertex Sub-Object (Physique) 2. Make sure all three Vertex Type buttons are on, and then select the vertices you want to reassign. 3. In the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Assign To Link. 4. In the Vertex Type group, choose only the type of vertex assignment you want to use: deformable (red) or rigid (green.) 5. Choose No Blending from the Blending Between Links drop-down list.
1004 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Blue—Vertices attached to the root node. Physique uses this color when it isn’t sure which link to assign the vertices to. These vertices don’t deform but follow the center of mass object. You should reassign blue vertices to be either rigid or deformable. While a button of the appropriate color is turned on, you can select vertices of that color. Turn off a button to avoid selecting vertices of that color. You can’t turn off all three buttons at once.
Vertex Sub-Object (Physique) Vertex Operations group Note: Select, Select By Link, Assign To Link, and Remove From Link will act only on vertices specified by the red, green, and blue Vertex Type (“+”) buttons. Lock Assignments—Locks vertex assignments. Lock will prevent any changes from being made to the weights and blending presently assigned to the selected vertices. After any manual assignment of vertices, they should be locked. Before using type-in weights, vertices must be locked.
1006 Chapter 14: Character Studio Tip: Type-In Weights is useful mainly for correcting flaws in low- to medium-resolution meshes. On a high-resolution mesh, adjusting envelopes should be used to correct deformation. Hide—Hides the selected vertices Unhide All—Unhides all vertices. Initial Skeletal Pose—When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is, the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off. Crowd Animation behave, and the crowd simulation calculates their motion.
Creating a Crowd System Creating a Crowd System The following is a basic procedure for creating and using a crowd system: 1. Add a Crowd helper (page 2–1008) object. The crowd helper is the controlling object for the entire crowd simulation. 2. Create a Delegate helper (page 2–1008) object. This is analogous to defining how a particular animal or object moves. Is it a bird, a fish, a slug, or an airplane? 4.
1008 Chapter 14: Character Studio 7. Solve the simulation. 5. Create 3ds Max objects to be used with behaviors, such as grids or objects to seek or avoid. These objects often correspond to objects in your scene. For example, you could create a grid in an open doorway to attract delegates, or a box at an obstacle to repel delegates. 8. Watch the solved simulation. If it needs correction, make changes to behaviors or delegate parameters. Solve again, and continue until the simulation works as intended. 9.
Creating Crowd Helpers of these helpers. The crowd helper serves as the command center for setting up and solving crowd simulations, while delegates provide stand-ins for animated objects. The crowd helper controls are used to animate the delegates, then later you link objects to delegates to create the finished scene. Delegate Helpers Crowd Helper A crowd helper object appears in viewports as blue tetrahedron. The location and size of the crowd helper does not affect the simulation.
1010 Chapter 14: Character Studio To create a Delegate helper object: 1. On the Create panel, click Helpers. 2. Click Delegate. Drag in a viewport to set the delegate position, and then drag vertically to set the size. Tip: The delegate always points "up" in the viewport you add it in. So if you want it to point "forward," that is, toward the positive Y direction in the World coordinate system, you should create it in the Top viewport. To clone and scatter delegates: 1.
Adjusting Delegate Parameters Adjusting Delegate Parameters Delegate parameters define the nature of their motion. You can change delegate parameters in one of two ways: • To adjust parameters for an individual delegate, select the delegate, access the Modify panel, and adjust parameters. For descriptions of parameters, see .
1012 Chapter 14: Character Studio • Speed Vary Behavior (page 2–1074)—Lets delegates change speed for more realistic movement. • Surface Arrive Behavior (page 2–1075)—Lets delegates move toward and land on a surface, with custom speed and acceleration parameters. • Surface Follow Behavior (page 2–1078)—Delegates move along a surface, which can be animated. Also, you can specify whether the delegates are to move straight ahead or skirt hills and depressions.
Assigning Behaviors A few behaviors cannot be weighted. These are Avoid, Surface Follow, and Orientation. Avoid and Surface Follow take over after all of the other behaviors have been applied to a delegate. They can take stringent measures to affect the delegate, possibly overpowering other behaviors in order to meet their constraints. Orientation simply sets the delegate’s facing direction. It cannot be weighted and does not apply a force.
1014 Chapter 14: Character Studio 8. Create and modify additional behaviors as necessary. 9. On the Setup rollout, click the Behavior Assignment button. 10. In the Assignment Design group, the two upper lists should each contain a single entry: the delegate on the left, and the behavior on the right. Select both items. 11. Click the New Assignment button to the right of the Assignment Design group. It’s a vertical button with five right-pointing arrows.
Directing Delegates To use the Wall Seek behavior: 3. In the Path Follow Behavior rollout, click the None button and pick the shape for the delegates to follow. 1. On the Create panel, click Helpers, and click Grid. Create a grid in the scene. Tip: For best results, do not use Mirror to 4. Set the Radius parameter to the number of units by which delegates can stray from the path. Change other settings as desired. copy a grid to be used with behaviors. Use SHIFT+Clone instead. 2.
1016 Chapter 14: Character Studio 4. If you like, use the settings in the Projection Vector group to force delegates to move in a specific direction. Obstacle Avoidance An important part of crowd behavior is avoidance of obstacles. Think of an obstacle as anything that impedes a crowd member’s progress. Examples of obstacles include walls, telephone poles, and fences, as well as other crowd members.
Obstacle Avoidance 2. In the Avoid Behavior rollout, use the None button or the Multiple Selection button to designate the target object or objects to avoid. Tip: To make an entire team of delegates avoid each other, choose all delegates in the team. The crowd system will cause each delegate to avoid all others except itself. 3. Turn on Display Hard Radius to see the radial avoidance area in viewports. Adjust the Hard Radius to the appropriate size for your delegates. 4.
1018 Chapter 14: Character Studio To use a Vector Field space warp with delegates: 7. Turn off Display group > Show Lattice and Show Range so that the vector field will be more easily visible when generated. This procedure presents general guidelines for using the Vector Field space warp with delegates in a crowd simulation. 8. Turn on Display group > Show Vector Field. 1. Create an object to serve as an obstacle. This 9.
Changing Delegate Orientation and Speed 16. Add any other objects or behaviors appropriate to the simulation. 17. Select the Crowd object, and then solve the simulation by clicking the Solve rollout > Solve button. 18. Fine tune the behavior associated with the Vector Field space warp by adjusting the Lattice parameters (page 2–1094) and Obstacle parameters (page 2–1094). 19. Continue computing the vector field and then solving the simulation after each adjustment.
1020 Chapter 14: Character Studio Procedure To solve a simulation: 1. Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper, delegates and behaviors. See Assigning Behaviors (page 2–1011). 2. Select the crowd helper. 3. On the Modify panel, in the Solve rollout, set the Start Solve and End Solve parameters to set the start and end frames for the solution. 4. Click Solve. 1. Move the time slider to the frame at which you want to start solving one frame at a time. 2. Click Step Solve.
Cognitive Controllers you should take care to make sure your objects’ local Y axes point in the direction you consider to be “forward”. The easiest way to do this is to set up one object with its Y axis pointing in the forward direction, then clone the object. 3. Select the crowd helper, and access the Modify panel. 4. On the Setup rollout (page 2–1039), click Object/Delegate Associations. The Object/Delegate Associations dialog (page 2–1047) appears. 5.
1022 Chapter 14: Character Studio In technical terms, cognitive controllers let you influence crowd simulations with scripted conditionals, effectively implementing a form of artificial intelligence. You use the Cognitive Controller editor (page 2–1057), a flowchart-style editor (much like the Motion Flow Graph dialog (page 2–897)) to set up a network of behaviors and behavior combinations, known as states.
Using Motion Synthesis at half weight, so that the delegate will meander slightly as it seeks the target. 10. Close the Select Behaviors dialog, and then close the State editor. 11. Repeat steps 6–10 as necessary to define behaviors for the other states in the controller. Next, use Create Transition to define the sequence of states during the simulation. 12. Decide on the sequence in which the states are to occur. 13. Click the Create Transition button. 14.
1024 Chapter 14: Character Studio parameters, while suitable for birds, fish, insects, and snakes, are not rich enough to animate the microstructure of bipedal motion. Therefore, several features in Crowd are focused on the special needs of bipeds. In order to generate the required level of nuance, animated motion clips form the basis for the repertoire of biped movements.
Biped Crowds motion clips. If the clips are motion captured, you should employ footstep extraction during import in preparation for the bending operation. Adding clips that turn slightly will let the biped crowd simulation make minute corrections in heading in order to achieve goal locations more precisely. • The possible motions to reach those goals are defined by the biped’s motion flow network. Motion flow graphs that work best incorporate fine-tuned transitions.
1026 Chapter 14: Character Studio Tip: The inclusion of stopping and loitering motions in the motion flow network is sometimes helpful in preventing excessive backtracking since stopping is always an effective way to avoid collisions in a tight situation. In general, the more variation in speed and direction that is possible, the more quickly the backtracking feature will find a solution.
Biped Crowds or any other undesirable change that occurs during a transition. See Customizing Transitions (page 2–885). After solving the biped crowd simulation the first few times, check again for bad transitions you might have missed the first time around. After a few simulations, most likely you will have found all or nearly all the bad transitions. To create the shared motion flow: panel. 2. Click the Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode button. 3. Click the Motion Flow rollout > Show Graph button.
1028 Chapter 14: Character Studio the last 30 percent of each motion to create transitions. clip A to be chosen twice as often as clip B or C. In that case, using the Random Start Clips tool, you’d first click clip A, and then CTRL+click clips B and C. Then you’d right-click each in turn, assigning a Random Start Probability of 60 to clip A, and 30 to both clips B and C. The graph now shows arrows to and from each clip, as well as from each clip to itself.
Biped Crowds using the delegate’s Motion Parameters rollout (page 2–1035) > Biped group settings. Next, specify the bipeds that will share this motion flow. You must select the biped’s center of mass (COM) object (typically named Bip0#), as indicated by the mouse cursor turning into a crosshairs icon when it’s over the COM in the active viewport. 6. In the Parameters group, click the Add button, and use the Select dialog to specify the bipeds that will share the motion flow.
1030 Chapter 14: Character Studio Flow dialog, any scripts in the file are ignored. Thus, delegate-associated bipeds using motion flow in an unsolved crowd simulation have no existing scripts, and you must specify that they use the random start clip that you set in the motion flow. You do this via the delegates. 1. Use the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog > Biped group to specify Random Start Clip for all the delegates. Solve the simulation. 2. Select the Crowd object, and go to the Modify panel. 3.
Non-Biped Crowds on which you use, you toggle options on the Motion Clips tab of the Synthesis dialog. In both cases, you use crowd delegates driven by behaviors to motivate the creatures, which are linked to those delegates. Note: To animate a model for motion synthesis, apply modifiers to the model and animate their parameters. Modifiers such as Bend, Taper, Wave, and Xform produce animation you can use with motion synthesis.
1032 Chapter 14: Character Studio Master Motion Clip Master Motion Clips are controllers that contain motion clips, or individual clips of animation. These motion clips are sequenced to create animation, and overlap slightly with automatic blending to smooth the transitions between clips. Procedure To use Motion Synthesis with non-bipedal creatures: All of the work involved in copying and synthesizing clips takes place using controls in the Synthesis dialog (page 2–1098).
Non-Biped Crowds This opens the MotionClip Parameters dialog, which lets you set the name, color, and frame range for a motion clip. 11. Choose a descriptive name and a frame range for the motion clip. For example, frames 0 through 10 might be your glide animation. 12. Continue to define clips using different frame ranges from the Global object’s animation. Give the clips descriptive names. Next, you define states whose parameters determine when motion synthesis is to use each clip. 13.
1034 Chapter 14: Character Studio Crowd Animation User Interface Delegate Helper Object Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Delegate The Delegate is a special helper object used in crowd animation. It serves as an agent for motion created by a Crowd object (page 2–1038) and its behaviors. The Crowd object controls a delegate or delegates, whose motion can then be imparted to a biped or other object. Delegates cannot be rendered.
Geometry Parameters Rollout Geometry Parameters Rollout Interface Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Delegate > Geometry Parameters rollout Select a Delegate object. > Modify panel > Geometry Parameters rollout Use these parameters to modify the delegate object’s size. Interface Width, Depth, Height—Sets the width, depth, and height of the Delegate object. These fields also act as readouts when you create the delegate. Note: The Delegate is a helper object, and thus cannot be rendered.
1036 Chapter 14: Character Studio axis) throughout the simulation. When off, the delegate’s height can change during the simulation, for example when seeking an object at a different height. Default=on. Bound Box of Hierarchy—When on, the Avoid behavior (page 2–1063) uses the bounding box of the delegate and all of its children to perform its behavior. Default=on. Speed group Average Speed—Specifies the delegate’s baseline velocity in 3ds Max units (or the current unit type) per frame. Default=5.0.
Motion Parameters Rollout Accel(eration) Weight—Specifies how much the Max Incline—Specifies the maximum number delegate should speed up when moving at a downward slant. Default=0.1. of degrees a delegate can turn upward at any given frame. For example, most birds can’t fly straight up, so you might set this to 45 for a bird. Default=90.0. See Decel Weight for a full explanation, taking into account that Accel Weight produces a speedup effect rather than a slowdown.
1038 Chapter 14: Character Studio Biped group Tip: When using the viewport, the mouse cursor changes to a crosshairs when positioned over a biped’s center of mass. Start Frame—Specifies the frame at which the biped’s first clip will begin to play. If, when several bipeds share the same starting clip, you vary this setting per biped, they won’t walk in lockstep formation.
Setup Rollout character studio. In most cases, you won’t need more than one Crowd object per scene. The Crowd object provides the following rollouts: Setup Rollout (page 2–1039) Solve Rollout (page 2–1084) Priority Rollout (page 2–1087) Setup Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout Smoothing Rollout (page 2–1090) The Setup rollout of the Crowd helper object contains controls for setting up crowd functions.
1040 Chapter 14: Character Studio Behaviors group Use these controls for adding, removing, and renaming behaviors. New—Launches the Select Behavior Type dialog (page 2–1056). Choose a behavior and then click OK to add the behavior to the scene. Then use the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog (page 2–1052) to assign the behavior to a delegate or delegates in the scene.
Scatter Objects Dialog specify various orientation and scaling options for scatter objects. Interface Clone panel an instance (page 3–1052), or a reference (page 3–1096). Clone Hierarchy—When on, all objects linked to the selected object are cloned as well, with the hierarchical structure retained intact for each clone. Clone Controllers—When on, any controllers (that is, animation) associated with the selected object are cloned as well.
1042 Chapter 14: Character Studio Position panel • Inside Box and Inside Sphere distribute the scatter objects within the volume of a primitive box or sphere object, respectively. • On Surface distributes the scatter objects over the surface of any renderable object. For example, you can create a landscape object for use as a distribution surface by applying a Noise modifier to a patch grid. • On Shape distributes the scatter objects along a shape object: a spline or NURBS curve.
Scatter Objects Dialog Radius—Specifies the maximum distance from the Rotation panel center within which objects are to be positioned. In XY Plane—Specifies that objects are to be distributed on the world XY plane only, resulting in a disc-like array. Spacing group Include children’s bounding boxes in spacing calculations—When on, all of a hierarchical scatter object’s sub-objects are considered when determining spacing. When off, only the selected object is considered.
1044 Chapter 14: Character Studio Forward—+/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points forward, for use with the Look At Target option. When the + button is active, the default condition, the positive chosen axis is used. Click the + button to use the negative axis. Up—+/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points upward; this axis is aligned with the world Z-axis. When the + button is active, the default condition, the positive chosen axis is used.
Scatter Objects Dialog Scale panel X group Scale—Sets scaling on the X-axis as a multiplier. Default=1.0. Deviation—Sets the maximum factor for randomization of scaling. For each scatter object, Deviation is multiplied by a random number between 0.0 and 1.0, and then added to the Scale multiplier. Same As Y/Z—Lets you use the same scaling as on the Y- or Z-axis, whether explicit or randomized. When you specify an axis, the parameters group for that axis becomes unavailable.
1046 Chapter 14: Character Studio Rand Seed—Specifies a seed value for randomizing the clones’ scales, based on the Deviation settings. If you use the same value for clones of a delegate and then a master object, each pair ends up with the same scaling factor. Generate Scales—Click this button to scale all scatter objects; that is, cloned objects or objects selected with the Select Objects to Transform button.
Random Placement Difficulty Dialog Cancel—Forgets any changes and closes the dialog. See also Creating Crowd Helpers (page 2–1008) Random Placement Difficulty Dialog This dialog appears when the software encounters difficulty placing cloned objects without overlapping using the Scatter Objects dialog (page 2–1040). The dialog text tells you how many attempts the software has made to place a specific object, and asks you if you want to try again.
1048 Chapter 14: Character Studio click the Select button to add the objects to the Objects list. Remove—Deletes the highlighted object or objects from the list. Shift Up/Shift Down—Use the arrow buttons Link Objects to Delegates—Creates a hierarchy for each object-delegate pair, with the delegate as parent. Association via Animation Replacement group between the two lists to move highlighted items higher or lower in the list.
Edit Multiple Delegates Dialog the same as those found in the delegate object’s Motion Parameters rollout (page 2–1035), with the following exceptions and additions. 4. If necessary, use the Delegates To Edit group • Each setting has an associated SET check box, which lets you determine whether the setting has any effect. When off (the default), the setting has no effect. When on, the setting affects the specified delegate or delegates when you click the Apply Edit button. 5.
1050 Chapter 14: Character Studio Set Parameters from Animation group Turning group Use this function to obtain motion parameters from an animated object and apply them to all specified delegates. It affects only Average Speed, Max Accel, and the Turning parameters. These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object’s Motion Parameters rollout (page 2–1035). For an explanation of the Random and SET check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.
Associate Bipeds With Delegates Dialog Associate Bipeds With Delegates Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Biped/Delegate Associations button Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Biped/Delegate Associations button Add—Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all bipeds in the scene that are not currently listed in the Associate Bipeds with Delegates dialog.
1052 Chapter 14: Character Studio with the first biped, the second delegate with the second biped, and so on. Associate Delegates With Closest Biped—When chosen, and you click the Associate button, character studio calculates the biped nearest each delegate in the scene and links the two together. Set Delegates to Use Biped—When on, and you click the Associate button, the software turns on the Use Biped option for all delegates listed in the dialog.
Behavior Assignments and Teams Dialog To create a new behavior assignment: This procedure gives the basic method for assigning a behavior or cognitive controller to a delegate or team. 1. If you want to assign the same behavior to more than one delegate, use the Teams group (page 2–1055) to collect delegates into teams. Note: You can still assign behaviors to an individual delegate, even if it belongs to one or more teams. 2.
1054 Chapter 14: Character Studio (upper or lower list), and one item from right side (upper or lower list). Then click the New/Reset Assignment button immediately to the right of the Assignment Design group (vertical button with five right-pointing arrows). Tip: With the exception of Behaviors, you can choose only one item from either side of this group.
Behavior Assignments and Teams Dialog Behavior Assignments group In most cases, you should keep Weight within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. Higher settings are available but shouldn’t be used unless absolutely necessary. Note: The Weight setting is not relevant to the Avoid (page 2–1063), Orientation (page 2–1066), or the Surface Follow (page 2–1078) behavior, and is thus unavailable for assignments using any of those three. Active—When on, the assignment is currently in effect.
1056 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: You can toggle the display of this group No Teams/Teams—Toggles display of the Teams box with the No Teams/Teams button below the Behavior Assignments group. group box. Drop-down list—Displays the name of the current team. To view a different team, choose it from the list. To change a team name, click in the box and then use the keyboard to edit the text. By default, the Teams group is displayed; click the No Teams button to turn it off.
Select Delegates Dialog Select Delegates Dialog OK—Closes the dialog and implements changes. Cancel—Closes the dialog and ignores changes. Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Behavior Assignments > Choose or add a team. > Add Members Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Behavior Assignments > Choose or add a team.
1058 Chapter 14: Character Studio of behaviors used in the cognitive controller, but you can work around that by using transitions. Note: Crowd doesn’t let you use multiple cognitive controllers with a delegate. You can assign them, but when you solve, the software notifies you that it will use only the first assigned cognitive controller.
State Dialog To change a state diagram’s name, click the name in the box and use the keyboard to edit the text. To change the name, click this text and edit from the keyboard. New—Adds a new cognitive controller. By default, cognitive controllers are named “Cognitive Controller” followed by a number, but you can change this to anything you like. List—Displays the names of all behaviors associated with the state. Delete—Deletes the current cognitive controller. This is an undoable operation.
1060 Chapter 14: Character Studio State Transition Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Cognitive Controllers > Right-click a transition line. Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Cognitive Controllers > Right-click a transition line. These settings control how the software effects a transition from one state to another when using a cognitive controller (page 2–1057).
State Transition Dialog Once you’ve executed this assignment, you can obtain a list of the atmospheric’s properties by entering this command in the MAXScript Listener: ShowProperties atmos_fog Also, the third line in the sample script isn’t necessary for the cognitive controller; it simply prints the result of the test in the Listener window for debugging purposes.
1062 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: See the online User Reference for this sample code. Interface won’t let you set a value for either parameter that would cause the sum to exceed 1.0. To increase the value of one parameter when its value equals 1.0 minus the other parameter, decrease the other parameter first. Transition Condition—The name of the MAXScript function that specifies when/how the transition is to occur.
Avoid Behavior Note: If you add the first behavior to the scene from the Behavior Assignments and Teams Dialog (page 2–1052), a behavior rollout does not automatically appear in the Crowd command panel. You must first choose the behavior from the drop-down list at the bottom of the Setup rollout. Use the controls in this rollout to modify the behavior.
1064 Chapter 14: Character Studio example, suppose you want to animate a school of fish swimming around a sunken ship. In this case, a vector field can be created so that it extends the shape of the ship into the surrounding space. The field is computed by scan converting the ship’s surface normals into a 3D lattice that surrounds the ship. These normals will extend into space as "beacons" in the 3D lattice, telling the fish how to best swim away from the shape of the ship.
Avoid Behavior Multiple Selection—Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets. When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target positions. Look Ahead—The number of frames in advance of the current frame that the software looks for potential collisions. Default=30.
1066 Chapter 14: Character Studio steer around the object by being guided to travel perpendicular to the field’s vectors. When used with the Avoid behavior, the delegate simply moves away in the direction of the vectors. Tip: Sometimes when using Avoid with a vector field, the behavior might seem to be "fighting" with other behaviors (such as Seek) over delegate movement, causing a halting and/or wavering motion. In such cases, try reducing Brake Strength and/or increasing Falloff.
Orientation Behavior Interface Absolute heading as viewed from the top For example, if you wanted a delegate to be able to turn between the positive X axis and the positive Y axis, you would set Max Heading to 0 and Min Heading to 90. You can also specify heading limits in amounts relative to the delegate’s heading at the time that the Orientation behavior takes effect by turning on the Relative check box. Heading group Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the vertical axis.
1068 Chapter 14: Character Studio moving in. A value of 1.0 indicates maximum responsiveness, and will point in the direction the delegate is moving (within the limits) while a lower value means that it is less responsive. Default=1. Range=0 to 1. Pitch group Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the left-right axis. Max Bank Velocity—The maximum number of degrees the delegate’s bank angle can change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration. Default=3.0.
Path Follow Behavior Interface Turning group These parameters determine how delegates turn while following the path. Awareness determines how well a delegate anticipates turns in the path as it moves; you can apply random variation to Awareness with the Deviation setting. Awareness—Specifies how "intelligent" the delegate is while traversing this path. A high Awareness setting means that it takes into account the curve of the path while moving and will try to anticipate changes.
1070 Chapter 14: Character Studio Beginning of Path—The delegate first moves to the start of the path before following it. End of Path—The delegate first moves to the end of the path before following it. With closed curves, this is the same point as the beginning of the path. Nearest Point—The delegate first moves to the closest point on the path and then follows the path from there. Color Swatch—Shows the color used to draw the Path Follow force vector during the solution.
Repel Behavior Interface Closest Source Only—Each delegate is repelled by the closest of the assigned sources. Use this to have delegates assigned a single Repel behavior move away from sources in different directions. Average Of Sources—All delegates move away from a common point determined by averaging all sources’ locations. Method group Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Force.
1072 Chapter 14: Character Studio Falloff—Default=2.0. Edit MAXScript—Click to open an editor window. Display Radii—The radii are displayed when the force is active. Color Swatch—Shows the color used to draw the Repel force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=violet. Display Force—When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Repel behavior is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution.
Space Warp Behavior If you’ve selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection—Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets. When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target positions.
1074 Chapter 14: Character Studio and Particles & Dynamics categories to crowd members. Interface In particular, use the Space Warp behavior to tie delegates to a Vector Field space warp, so that they avoid penetrating an irregularly shaped object while following its contours. Interface None (label)—Click this button, then select a space warp object. Color Swatch—shows the color used to draw the Space Warp force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
Surface Arrive Behavior Deviation—Specifies the maximum amount by which the delegate’s calculated speed (Average Speed*Center) should vary. Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the calculated speed, and adds the result to the calculated speed. Default=0.25. Range=0.0 to 99,999.0. Accel Period—Specifies the rate at which the delegate’s speed should change in relation to the period length.
1076 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface viewport. The target name then appears on the button. If you’ve selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection—Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets.
Surface Arrive Behavior Distance—The maximum radial distance from the target within which the behavior will be active. Default=9999999.0. Until the delegate is within this radius, the behavior has no influence. Deviation—Adds random variation to the to the Distance setting. The actual deviation is calculated by multiplying the Deviation setting by a random number between -1 and 1, and then multiplying the result by the Distance setting. Default=0.0.
1078 Chapter 14: Character Studio Off This Normal—When on, lets you set an approach vector to specify the angle at which the final approach occurs. Default=off. X/Y/Z—Use these settings to specify the final approach vector in world coordinates. For example, the vector specified by the default settings of X=0, Y=0, Z=1 means that the delegates will approach the target along the vertical world axis. frame based on its current facing and the plane of the face it’s currently over.
Wall Repel Behavior When you have more than one target, delegates initially move toward the closest target in the group, and then move over its surface until they encounter another target, at which point they switch to its surface, and so on. Projection Vector group These controls let you override the default direction calculated by the Surface Follow behavior by describing a virtual plane along which the delegate is to move.
1080 Chapter 14: Character Studio Note: The Wall Repel behavior simply applies a force on the delegate in the direction opposite the wall; it does not guarantee that the delegate won’t go through the wall. If the delegate does go through the wall, adjust settings such as Inner and Outer Distance, and, in particular, try reducing Falloff. Interface Method group Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Force.
Wall Seek Behavior specific distance from the target. The relative strength of the behavior increases from 0 percent at the outer radius to 100 percent at the inner radius. Display Force——The force, when activated, is drawn in the viewports as a wireframe rectangle during the simulation solution. Default=on. Use Distance—When on, the behavior applies only to delegates closer to the target than the Outer Distance value. Default=on.
1082 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the delegate is directly approaching the target. Force—Always applies a force directly towards the target. The magnitude of the force is constant. Direction group Determines whether the grid attracts from its positive-axis side, its negative-axis side, or both. To determine which is the positive-axis side, select the grid, and then set the reference coordinate system to Local (the default system is View).
Wander Behavior Falloff—The rate at which the attracting force diminishes between the Inner Distance and the Outer Distance. Default=2.0. A value of 1.0 indicates a linear falloff. Higher values cause the strength to fall off to zero more rapidly with distance, thus focusing its effect closer to the Inner Distance. Lower values reduce the rate of diminishment, with a Falloff setting of 0.0 indicating that the strength is the same at the Outer Distance as it is at the Inner Distance.
1084 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Deviation—Specifies the maximum amount by which Angle should vary. Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Angle setting, and adds the result to Angle. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Seed—Specifies a seed value for randomizing the Wander behavior. Color swatch—Shows the color used to draw the Wander force vector during the solution.
Solve Rollout Interface Step Solve—Runs the crowd simulation one frame at a time, starting at the current frame as specified by the time slider position. Press the spacebar to advance one frame. To abort a solution in progress and save all keys generated up to that point, press the ESC key. When you do so, the software disregards any non-default settings for Save Every Nth Key. Alternatively, with complex simulations, you can save time by pressing SHIFT+ESC to abort a solution without saving keys.
1086 Chapter 14: Character Studio Delete Keys before Solve—Deletes the keys of active delegates in the range over which the solution takes place. Default=off. This option leaves the first two keys so that the delegate doesn’t end up with no keys and then pop to its current position. This is a useful feature for biped crowds; it lets you watch each biped compute, one after another, without the ones not yet computed still performing their old animation.
Priority Rollout try a different traversal of the lower-priority delegate/biped’s motion flow graph. If necessary, the system will back up two or more clips. Priority Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Priority rollout Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Priority rollout The Crowd system uses the Priority rollout settings when solving a simulation involving bipeds associated with delegates. The Priority parameter is a positive integer assigned by the user to a delegate.
1088 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Assign by Picking group Pick/Assign—Lets you assign successively higher Priority values to any number of delegates by selecting each in turn in the viewport. The first delegate you select is assigned the Start Priority value. The Priority value assigned to each succeeding delegate you select is incremented by one. To stop assigning priorities, right-click in a viewport or click the Pick/Assign button again.
Set Start Frames Dialog successively farther delegate is assigned the next highest priority. For any delegates that are equidistant from the object, the software assigns priorities randomly. Proximity to a Grid—Lets you assign priorities based on delegates’ distance from an infinite plane defined by a specific grid object. To specify the grid object, click the None button, and then select the grid object on which priorities are to be based. Lastly, click the Assign button to compute and assign priorities.
1090 Chapter 14: Character Studio For instance, if you set Lowest Start Frame to 0, Minimum Number ... to 1, and Maximum Number to 3, you could get a start frame sequence like this: 0, 2, 5, 6, 8, and so on. If you want more regularly staggered start frames, set Minimum and Maximum to the same value. For example, with Lowest Frame=0 and Minimum/Maximum both set to 2, you’d get: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.
Smoothing Rollout Interface From—When Animation Segment is chosen, specifies the first animation frame for smoothing. To—When Animation Segment is chosen, specifies the last animation frame for smoothing. Positions—When on, selected objects’ animation paths generated via the simulation are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on. Rotations—When on, selected objects’ rotations generated via the simulation are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on.
1092 Chapter 14: Character Studio The highest available Smoothness value is always 6. The lowest available value depends on the Past Keys and Future Keys settings. Perform Smoothing—Click this button to carry out the smoothing operation. Note: If neither the Reduce nor the Filter check box is turned on, no smoothing is performed. Collisions Rollout Only during collisions—Colliding delegates are highlighted only in frames in which they actually collide.
Global Clip Controllers Rollout Global Clip Controllers Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Global Clip Controllers rollout Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout Use global clip controllers when assigning non-biped animated objects (such as a bird flapping its wings) to delegates in a crowd simulation. Applications include synthesis of animation activity based on a variety of criteria, such as an object’s speed, acceleration, and pitch.
1094 Chapter 14: Character Studio and sized so that it surrounds the object to be avoided. The vectors are generated from the lattice intersections. These vectors are, by default, perpendicular to the surface of the object to which the field is applied; if necessary, you can smooth them out with a blending function. The crowd members move around the object by traveling perpendicular to the vectors.
Obstacle Parameters Rollout vectors are generated and displayed, and how they affect other objects. Note: Objects are subject to a vector field’s forces only if they are bound to the field with a Crowd object. For general usage guidelines, see To use a Vector Field space warp (page 2–1018). Interface Display group The range starts out the same shape and size as the obstacle object, and is typically enlarged with the Compute Vectors group > Range setting.
1096 Chapter 14: Character Studio Pull settings to keep delegates within the vector field. Compute Vectors group Strength—Sets the degree of effect the vectors have on the movement of an object entering the vector field. If Show Vector Field is on as you adjust Strength, you can see the vector lines change size in the viewports in real time. Default=1.0. Note: Sometimes, after changing strength, vectors will be too large or too small.
Motion Synthesis The basic sampling rate is determined by the program from the size of the lattice and the size of each polygon. Use Flipped Faces—Causes flipped normals to be used during the computation of the vector field. Default=off. By default, vectors are generated in the same direction as the obstacle object’s face normals, so that assuming these face normals point outward, objects move around its exterior in a crowd simulation.
1098 Chapter 14: Character Studio Synthesis Dialog Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose a GlobalClip object. > Select the object in the list. > Edit > Synthesis dialog Open Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > GlobalClip Properties > Synthesis dialog The Synthesis dialog is where you set up motion synthesis for non-bipedal crowd members. It uses three panels to split up the workflow.
Motion Clips Panel Interface From Global Object group Create State—Create a new state with parameters specific to the motion clip, such as speed, heading, acceleration, and so on. character studio evaluates the motion and orientation of the object and creates a new state with parameters set accordingly. Remove Local X, Y, Z, Orientation—Turn on any or all of these options to strip out transformation and orientation data from the motion clip.
1100 Chapter 14: Character Studio by clicking Modify and then clicking OK to close the dialog. The change will affect all the objects being synthesized. Copy to Object—The keys from the highlighted motion clip are copied back to the Global Object. Deletes any existing animation keys in that part of the Global Object’s animation. You can use this function in several ways. First, if you’ve changed the animation on the Global Object, you can restore it from a stored motion clip with Copy To Object.
State Panel Interface Edit Properties—Lets you modify the current state. Displays the ClipState dialog (page 2–1105) for the current state. Clear Properties—Returns the state to the default settings and removes clips from the MotionClips window. MotionClips group MotionClips window—Displays motion clips used by the current state. Use Add Clip to associate clips with the state.
1102 Chapter 14: Character Studio If two states have the same precedence, the state with a greater weight will be give higher priority considered during random selection. Animation Start Percent—Specifies where in the clip’s animation you want it to start playing when the state is active. At the default value of 0, the animation will start once the state is active. If the value is 66, the animation will start playing two-thirds of the way in once the state becomes active.
Synthesis Panel You can highlight any of these by clicking them, and select multiple items with CTRL+click and SHIFT+click. Highlight all objects with the Select All button. New Master Motion Clip—Displays the Select Object To Copy dialog. Use this to specify the objects to which the synthesized motion will be applied. These objects must all be structurally identical to the Global Object. In effect, they should be clones. Remove Animation—Strips the animation from the clones.
1104 Chapter 14: Character Studio default, calculated, or set manually, and lets you change the start frame. Name—Enter a name for the new motion clip. Auto Blend—Automatically sets the Blend Start clip from the Global Object. frame for the current From and To clips. Auto Blend All—Automatically sets the Blend Start frames for all possible pairs of clips. OK—Accepts changes and closes the dialog.
ClipState Dialog Pitch Velocity Panel (page 2–1111) ClipState Dialog Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose GlobalClip object. > Select object in list.
1106 Chapter 14: Character Studio and then synthesize (see the procedure below). After you synthesize, the different property panels of the ClipState dialog will show the actual ranges and average values of delegate motion. These values are saved with the scene. Note: The default name of this dialog is "ClipState" because that’s the default name of the first state created on the Synthesis dialog > State panel. It’s the dialog invoked by clicking the Edit Properties button.
Speed Panel Interface Range Display—After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates’ minimum, average, and maximum speed. Min—Set the minimum speed value for the range. Max—Set the maximum speed value for the range. Unique—Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate’s speed matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value. Value—Set a unique speed value.
1108 Chapter 14: Character Studio much the animation rate is modified by the actual delegate speed. system unit. That is, the acceleration is determined by the rate at which the speed changes per frame. Scale Animation—Scales the clip’s animation based on speed. For example, as a bird increases its velocity, its wings beat more rapidly. Scaling an animation scales the keys of the animation.
Pitch Panel Range Display—After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates’ minimum, average, and maximum acceleration. Min—Set a minimum acceleration value for the range. Max—Set a maximum acceleration value for the range. Unique—Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate’s acceleration matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value. Value—Set a unique acceleration value.
1110 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Range Display—After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates’ minimum, average, and maximum pitch. Min—Set a minimum pitch for the range. Max—Set a maximum pitch for the range. Unique—Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate’s pitch matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Pitch Velocity Panel Scale Animation—Scales the clip’s pitch based on delegate pitch. Percentage—Specify how much to alter the pitch based upon the difference between the delegate’s pitch and the Base Pitch setting. The formula used is this: Pitch change % = (current pitch/Base Pitch -1 ) x Percentage % Base Pitch—Specifies the delegate pitch at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate.
1112 Chapter 14: Character Studio Interface Range Display—After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates’ minimum, average, and maximum pitch velocity. Min—Set a minimum pitch velocity for the range. Max—Set a maximum pitch velocity for the range. Unique—Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate’s pitch velocity matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Heading Velocity Panel Percentage—Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the difference between the delegate’s pitch velocity and the Base Pitch Rate setting. Interface The formula used is this: Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Pitch Rate -1 ) x Percentage % For example, if a delegate’s pitch velocity is 50 percent above its base heading rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by 25 percent.
1114 Chapter 14: Character Studio Range Display—After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates’ minimum, average, and maximum heading velocity. Min—Set a minimum heading rate value for the Percentage—Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the difference between the delegate’s heading velocity and the Base Heading Rate setting. range.
Character Studio Keyboard Shortcuts controller scripts, the statement "at time t" needs to be invoked because the animation is not running when the synthesis takes place. Script—Enter the name of the function defined by fn stoppedScript del t = ( at time t if del.pos.z < 65 then 1 else 0 ) that lets you edit the script. Interface Shortcuts, File Formats, and Index of Procedures the script, also found at the start of the script.
1116 Chapter 14: Character Studio Biped Keyboard Shortcuts Action Shortcut Action Lock Selected Keys (toggle) ALT+CTRL+L Toggles locked keys (red) on and off for the selected leg or vertical track key at the current frame. In Track View, you can watch the key turn from red to gray, and back again, as you lock and unlock it. Paste Posture ALT+V Pastes the posture from the clipboard onto the currently selected biped.
character studio File Formats Action Shortcut Description Crowd Keyboard Shortcuts TV Select entire footstep ALT+S Selects both edges of the selected footsteps in Track View. Action Shortcut Description Solve S Solves crowd simulation. TV Select start of footstep ALT+A Step Solve T Step-solves crowd simulation. Selects all left edges of the selected footsteps in Track View. * Not available for customization in the Customize User Interface dialog.
1118 Chapter 14: Character Studio the Physique modifier. See Saving and Loading Physique Data (page 2–949). STP—Step file. Contains footstep data. See Loading and Saving STP Files (page 2–779). BVH, CSM, MNM—These file formats contain motion-capture data. They are not specific to character studio. See BVH File (page 3–1014), CSM File (page 3–1019), or MNM File (page 3–1067) in the glossary.
Procedures To scale keys in time: (page 2–729) To select and rotate multiple links: (page 2–753) To prevent keys from changing when active footsteps are edited: (page 2–730) To rotate all links in the spine, neck, or tail: (page 2–754) To turn off Scale Stride mode: (page 2–777) To change Dynamics Blend for multiple Body Vertical keys: (page 2–740) To display footstep tracks: (page 2–747) To display footstep keys in Track View: (page 2–728) To change the display of numbers of footstep keys: (page 2–7
1120 Chapter 14: Character Studio To save Motion Flow Editor files: (page 2–884) To load Motion Flow Editor files: (page 2–885) To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique: (page 2–958) To append Motion Flow Editor files: (page 2–885) Applying Physique To manually customize transitions between two clips: (page 2–886) To attach a mesh to a biped using Physique: (page 2–958) To automatically customize transitions between two clips: (page 2–886) To adjust default envelope shape: (page 2–938)
Procedures To make compressible bones (bones with end effectors): (page 2–932) To add a bone after Physique is applied using Reinitialize: (page 2–932) To create and attach a tendon: (page 2–948) To attach a tendon to another link: (page 2–949) To delete a tendon: (page 2–949) To add a bone after Physique is applied using Add (Add Bone): (page 2–933) Saving and Reusing Physique Information To optimize skin objects: (page 2–951) To load Physique data: (page 2–959) To reinitialize a scaled mesh: (page
1122 Chapter 14: Character Studio Example: To animate the biped switching the prop to the other hand: (page 2–757) Crowd System To collapse the transforms of a prop: (page 2–758) To create a Crowd helper object: (page 2–1009) Controllers and Biped To create a Delegate helper object: (page 2–1010) To add a controller to a biped object: (page 2–755) To clone and scatter delegates: (page 2–1010) To collapse a controller: (page 2–755) To link objects to delegates: (page 2–1020) To add controllers to
Procedures Solving a Crowd Simulation To import clips from the Reservoir: (page 2–587) To solve a simulation: (page 2–1020) To speed up the solution time: (page 2–1020) To import clips from a motion flow script: (page 2–587) To troubleshoot the simulation: (page 2–1020) To replace one clip with another: (page 2–588) Cognitive Controllers To replace a clip with motion from a biped in the scene: (page 2–589) To set up and use a cognitive controller: (page 2–1022) To clone a clip: (page 2–588) Testi
1124 Chapter 14: Character Studio To adjust a weight curve: (page 2–596) Biped Balance To adjust balance using the balance track: (page 2–600) To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine: (page 2–601) Saving Mixer Data To perform a mixdown and copy it to the biped: (page 2–602) To save Motion Mixer data to a MIX file: (page 2–603) Reservoir To access the Reservoir: (page 2–604) To add clips to the Reservoir: (page 2–604) To replace a clip in the Reservoir: (page 2–604) To save an instance
Lights and Cameras a physically accurate model of real-world lighting. The Daylight and Sunlight systems create outdoor lighting that simulates sunlight based on location and time of day, month and year. You can animate the time of day to create shadow studies. Cameras frame the scene, providing a controllable point of view. You can animate camera movement. Cameras can simulate some aspects of real-world photography, such as depth-of-field and motion blur.
1126 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Tip: One way to begin your work on lighting a Create panel > Lights scene is to convert the default lighting into light objects by using the command Add Default Lights To Scene (page 1–49). Create menu > Lights Note: A scene’s lighting is also affected by the Lights Ambient Light setting on the Environment And Effects dialog > Environment panel (page 3–268). Types of Lights 3ds Max provides two types of lights: standard and photometric.
Name and Color Rollout (Lights) creation parameters. See Animating Lights (page 2–1136). • You can use the Place Highlight (page 1–452) command to change a light’s position. See the Procedures in Working with Lights (page 2–1128). • A Light viewport (page 3–792) can be a useful way to adjust lights other than omni lights. • To simulate sunlight, use a daylight or sunlight system (page 1–394), which allows you to set the date, time, and geographic location of your model.
1128 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Using Lights In general, these are the reasons to use light objects (page 2–1126): with different fixtures, and varying the light intensity and color temperature, you can design a lighting system that produces the results you want. See Photometric Lights: Web Distribution (page 2–1169). • To improve the illumination of a scene. The default illumination in viewports might not be bright enough, or it might not illuminate all faces of a complicated object.
Working with Lights • A Light viewport (page 2–1183) can be a useful way to adjust spotlights in your scene. Shadows are visible only when rendered, either in a full rendering (page 3–1) or by ActiveShade (page 3–17). Procedures Tip: To turn shadows on or off for multiple lights, select the lights and then use the Light Lister (page 2–1139). To create a light: 1. On the Create panel, click Lights. You can set an object to not cast or not receive shadows. By default, objects do both.
1130 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras To position a light so it highlights a face: 1. Make sure the viewport you plan to render is active, and that the object you want to highlight is visible in it. The result of Place Highlight depends on what is visible in the viewport. 2. Select a light object. 3. On the Main toolbar, choose Place Highlight from the Align flyout (page 1–446). You can also choose Tools menu > Place Highlight. 4. Drag over the object to place the highlight.
Properties of Light incidence increases, the intensity of illumination decreases. Angle of incidence affects intensity. Attenuation In the real world, light diminishes over distance. Objects far from the light source appear darker; objects near the source appear brighter. This effect is known as attenuation. In nature, light attenuates at an inverse square rate. That is, its intensity diminishes in proportion to the square of the distance from the light source.
1132 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras A. Direct light B. Reflected light Additive mixing of colored lights C. Resulting ambient light Color and Light The color of light depends partly on the process that generates the light. For example, a tungsten lamp casts orange-yellow light, a mercury vapor lamp casts cold blue-white light, and sunlight is yellow-white. Light color also depends on the medium the light passes through.
Lighting in 3ds Max Color Temperature Hue Sunlight at sunset or sunrise 2000 K 7 Candle flame 1750 K 5 Light source command (page 1–452) is one way to fine-tune the location of a light. Lighting in 3ds Max Lighting in 3ds Max simulates natural lighting. However, standard lights are simpler than natural lighting. Using photometric lights (page 2–1155) with a radiosity solution (page 3–50) with your lights provides a better model of the real world.
1134 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Most of the time, however, the color of ambient light should be the complement of the color of the principal light source for the scene. Tip: To better simulate reflected light and variations in it due to the varying reflectivity of objects in the scene, you can add more lights to a scene and set them to exclude the objects you don’t want them to affect. You can also set up lights to affect only the ambient component of surfaces.
Guidelines for Lighting Artificial Light You can also add lights to emphasize secondary subjects in a scene. In stage terminology, these lights are known as specials. Special lights are usually brighter than the fill light but less bright than the main key light. To design using physically based energy values, distributions, and color temperature, you can create photometric lights (page 2–1155).
1136 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras and use lights that effect ambient only to simulate the regional areas of diffuse reflection. You set the scene’s ambient light using the Environment And Effects dialog > Environment panel (page 3–268). You set a light to affect only ambient illumination with its Advanced Effects rollout (page 2–1185) > Ambient Only check box. Positioning Light Objects Once you have placed lights in your scene, you can use transforms to change a light’s position or orientation.
Light Include/Exclude Tool • Move an omni light (page 2–1148) when it’s a "practical" light within a scene (a light that appears in the scene itself). Combine the light with a self-illuminating geometric object. If you want to move a target type of light, select both the light and its target to animate them together. • Use a free spotlight (page 2–1144) when a spotlight is to move within the scene. Free spotlights are especially intended to be animated along a path, using a Path constraint (page 2–380).
1138 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See the path annotation, above. To use the Light Include/Exclude tool, you have to create a custom keyboard shortcut, quad or menu item, or toolbar button. Interface 3. In the Geometry group, choose Exclude. 4. Click the Assign To Light button. 5. In the scene, click a light. If the light is hard to locate, use the Select Objects dialog (keyboard shortcut H) to pick the light. The object is now excluded from the light.
Light Lister Current displayed light—Names the currently Procedures selected light. To use global settings: Choose Light—Activates selection so you can choose another light. Clear Light—Empties the Objects list, removing any included or excluded objects assigned to the currently displayed light. Include, Exclude—Reverses the state of included or excluded objects to receive light from the currently displayed light.
1140 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Refresh—Updates the list of lights to use the current light selection (if Selected Lights is active) and current scene settings. Note: When the Light Lister needs to be updated, the Refresh button is highlighted in yellow. General Settings rollout specific effects, see Shadow Map Parameters (page 2–1208) and Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters (page 2–1207). Sm. Range (Sample Range)—For shadow-mapped shadows, sets the Sample Range value.
Light Lister global light color, or the color of individual lights. The default setting, white, has no tinting effect. Global Level—Increases or decreases the overall lighting level for Standard lights. Default=1.0. Note: This setting, designed for standard lights, reduces the level of photometric lights to near darkness. If you have photometric lights in your scene, leave this setting at the default. Ambient Color—Changes the ambient color (page 3–1002), the color seen in shadows.
1142 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Transp. ( Transparency)—When on, turns on transparency for advanced ray-traced and area shadows. Has no effect on shadow-mapped or standard ray-traced shadows. Default=off. objects cast light in different ways, simulating different kinds of real-world light sources. Unlike photometric lights (page 2–1155), standard lights do not have physically-based intensity values.
Target Spotlight Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout (page 2–1200) Area Shadows Rollout (page 2–1202) Optimizations Rollout (page 2–1206) mental ray Shadow Map Rollout (page 2–1205) Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout (page 2–1207) Shadow Map Parameters Rollout (page 2–1208) Note: When you add a target spotlight, the software automatically assigns a Look At controller (page 2–329) to it, with the light’s target object assigned as the Look At target.
1144 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Because the spotlight is always aimed at its target, you can’t rotate it about its local X or Y axis. However, you can select and move the target object as well as the light itself. When you move either the light or the target, the light’s orientation changes so it always points at the target. Note: The target’s distance from the light does not affect the attenuation or brightness of the light.
Target Direct Light target object. You can move and rotate the free spot to aim it in any direction. The viewport now shows the light’s point of view. You can use the Light Viewport Controls (page 3–792) to adjust the light. See also The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.
1146 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Note: Direct lights are supported in a radiosity solution (page 3–50) only if they are pointed downwards, outside the boundary box of the scene geometry. Note: The mental ray renderer assumes that all directional lights come from infinity, so objects that are behind the direct light object in the 3ds Max scene will also be illuminated.
Free Direct Light To change a viewport to a Light view: 1. Right-click the viewport label. The viewport right-click menu is displayed. 2. Choose Views. The name of each spotlight or directional light is displayed in the Views list. 3. Choose the name of the light you want. The viewport now shows the light’s point of view. You can use the Light Viewport Controls (page 3–792) to adjust the light. The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.
1148 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras downwards, outside the boundary box of the scene geometry. Note: The mental ray renderer assumes that all directional lights come from infinity, so objects that are behind the direct light object in the 3ds Max scene will also be illuminated. In addition, with the mental ray renderer, directional lights cannot generate area shadows, and do not work with the Beam shader (in the lume library). 2. Choose Views.
Skylight shadows more slowly than spotlights. Avoid using ray-traced shadows with omni lights unless your scene requires this. See also Lights (page 2–1126) Name and Color Rollout (Lights) (page 2–1127) General Lighting Parameters (page 2–1175) Intensity/Color/Attenuation Parameters (page 2–1190) Advanced Effects Rollout (page 2–1185) Shadow Parameters (page 2–1181) Procedure To create an omni light: On the Create panel, click Lights. 1.
1150 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Skylight, convert the material to an Advanced Lighting Override material (page 2–1410) and then reduce the Indirect Light Bump Scale value. Using a Map with the Skylight If you use a map with a Skylight, the following guidelines can improve its effect: • Make sure that the mapping coordinates are spherical or cylindrical.
Skylight The light is now part of the scene. Sky Color group Note: The position of the Skylight, and its Use Scene Environment—Colors the light using the environment set up on the Environment panel (page 3–268). distance from objects, has no effect. The Skylight object is simply a helper. Skylight always comes from “overhead.” 4. Set the creation parameters. This setting has no effect unless light tracing is active.
1152 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See also mr Area Spotlight (page 2–1153) Procedures To create an area omni light: On the Create panel, click Lights. 1. Increasing the number of rays increases the quality of your image. However, it also increases rendering time. 2. On the Object Type rollout, click mr Area Ray Bias—The closest distance at which objects 3. Click in a viewport. can cast shadows on a given point in the scene.
mr Area Spotlight now two lights in the scene: the original light, and the area light based on it. 6. Click Close to dismiss the “Convert To mr Area Lights” and MAXScript rollouts. Interface As you use these spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This gizmo disappears once you finish adjusting the value. Samples group U and V—Adjust the quality of shadows cast by the area light.
1154 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See also mr Area Omni Light (page 2–1152) Procedures To create an area spotlight: Go to the Create panel and click 1. Lights. it with the area light. Click No to leave the original light in place. If you click No there are now two lights in the scene: the original light, and the area light based on it. 6. Click Close to dismiss the Convert To Area Lights and MAXScript rollouts. Interface 2. On the Object Type rollout, click mr Area Spot. 3. Drag in a viewport.
Photometric Lights While you use these spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo (yellow by default) appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This gizmo disappears once you finish adjusting the value. Samples group U and V—Adjust the quality of shadows cast by the area light. These values specify how many samples to take within the light’s area. Higher values can improve rendering quality at a cost of rendering time.
1156 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Shadow Parameters (page 2–1181) • Generic 4ft Pendant Fluorescent (web) Advanced Effects Rollout (page 2–1185) • Generic 4ft Cove Fluorescent (web) Other photometric-specific topics include: • Generic Street 400W Lamp (web) IES Standard File Format (page 2–1172) • Generic Stadium 100W Lamp (web) Example of Photometric Data File (page 2–1173) See also Common Lamp Values for Photometric Lights (page 2–1174) Photometric Lights (page 2–1155) Notes Target Linear
Target Point Light (Photometric) Free Linear Light (Photometric) (page 2–1160) Free Area Light (Photometric) (page 2–1162) Spotlight Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1168) Web Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1169) Target Point Light (Photometric) Name and Color Rollout (Lights) (page 2–1127) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Target Point button General Lighting Parameters (page 2–1175) Create menu > Lights > Target Point Light Intensity/Color/Distribution Rollout (page
1158 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras target. Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects. Free Point Light (Photometric) To adjust the light and target: Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Free Point button 1. Select the light or target or both. Create menu > Lights > Free Point Light 2. On the Main toolbar, click Move. Drag the selection to adjust the light. Because the light is always aimed at its target, you can’t rotate it about its local X or Y axes.
Target Linear Light (Photometric) Procedures 3. Choose the name of the light you want. To create a Free Point light: On the Create panel, click Lights. 1. 2. Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (Standard is the default.) The viewport now shows the light’s point of view. You can use the Light Viewport Controls (page 3–792) to adjust the light. The default keyboard shortcut for Light viewports is $. 3. In the Object Type rollout, click Free Point. 4.
1160 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See also 2. Right-click the light to open the quad menu (page 3–741). From the tools quadrant, choose Lights (page 2–1126) Select Target. Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1168) You can also choose Lights from the Selection Filters list on the toolbar, and then click the target. Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects.
Target Area Light (Photometric) See also Lights (page 2–1126) Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1168) 3. On the Main toolbar, click Rotate. Drag the selection to adjust the light. Tip: You can also adjust the light’s position with the Place Highlight (page 1–452) command.
1162 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See also 2. Right-click the light to open the quad menu (page 3–741). In the Tools quadrant, choose Select Target from the pop-up menu. Lights (page 2–1126) Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1168) You can also choose Lights from the Selection Filters list on the toolbar, and then click the target. Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects.
IES Sun Light (Photometric) You can position the light (page 2–1136) and adjust its direction with the transform tools. You can also adjust the light’s position with the Place Highlight (page 1–452) command. To adjust the light: 1. Select the light. Icons for Free Area light with diffuse and web distribution See also Lights (page 2–1126) Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights) (page 2–1168) 2. On the Main toolbar, click Rotate. Drag the selection to adjust the light.
1164 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Interface On—Turns sunlight on and off in the viewport. Targeted—When on, the IES Sun is targeted to the Outdoor scene illuminated by the IES Sun light center of the compass rose created by the Daylight system (page 1–394). If this is off, the position of The mental ray renderer gives physically accurate results for IES Sun, and renderings that use it will appear similar to renderings done with the default scanline renderer.
IES Sky Light (Photometric) Each shadow type has a rollout with its associated controls. eliminate edges that can appear on a surface under certain circumstances. Default=50. Tip: When you use the mental ray renderer Note: Soften Diffuse Edge slightly reduces the intensity of the light. You can counter this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value. and mental ray shadow maps, you can set up soft-edged shadows. Use Global Settings—Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this light.
1166 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras When you add an IES Sky light, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look At controller (page 2–329) to it, with the light’s target object assigned as the Look At target. You can use the controller settings on the Motion panel to assign any other object in the scene as the Look At target. Using Render Elements with an IES Sky Light Outdoor scene lit by the IES sky light Note: (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society; see IES Standard File Format (page 2–1172).
Isotropic Light Distribution (Photometric Lights) This is useful for doing night shots with artificial lighting. Sky Color—The color swatch opens the Color Selector (page 1–157), which lets you set the color of the sky. Ray Bias—The closest distance at which objects can cast shadows on a given point in the scene. Setting this value to 0 can cause the point to cast shadows upon itself, and setting it to a large value can prevent objects close to a point from casting shadows on the point.
1168 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Intensity/Color/Distribution Rollout (page 2–1197) Procedure To create a light with an Isotropic distribution: 1. Spotlight Distribution (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Click Target Point or Free Point. > Intensity/Color/Distribution rollout > Choose Spotlight in Distribution list. > Click in viewport to create light. On the Create panel, click Lights. 2. Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (The default is Standard.) 3.
Web Distribution (Photometric Lights) Spotlight Parameters (page 2–1183) Intensity/Color/Distribution Rollout (page 2–1197) Procedures To create a light with a spotlight distribution: orientation changes so it always points at the target. You can use the Place Highlight (page 1–452) command to change a light’s position. Another way to adjust a spotlight is to use a Light viewport (page 3–792). To select the target: 1. On the Create panel, click Lights. 2. Choose Photometric from the drop-down list.
1170 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras A photometric web is a 3D representation of the light intensity distribution of a light source. Web definitions are stored in files. Many lighting manufacturers provide web files that model their products; these are often available on the Internet. A web file can be in the IES (page 2–1172), LTLI (page 3–1058), or CIBSE (page 3–1015) format. Controls for assigning the web file are on the Web Parameters rollout.
Photometric Webs Photometric Webs Goniometric Diagrams Photometric data is often depicted using a goniometric diagram. Light that uses a photometric web A photometric web is a 3D representation of the light intensity distribution of a light source. This directional light distribution information is stored in a photometric data file in the IES format using the IES LM-63-1991 standard file format (page 2–1172), or in the LTLI or CIBSE formats for photometric data.
1172 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras the photometric center, measured along a line leaving the center in the specified direction. Example 1: Isotropic Distribution In this example, the points in the negative Z direction are the same distance from the origin as the corresponding points in the positive Z direction, so the same amount of light shines upward and downward. No point has a very large X or Y component, either positive or negative, so less light is cast laterally from the light source.
Example of Photometric Data File 1. IESNA91 2. [TEST] the test report number of your data 3. [MANUFAC] the manufacturer of the luminaire 4. TILT=NONE 5. 1 6. The initial rated lumens for the lamp used in the test or -1 if absolute photometry is used and the intensity values do not depend on different lamp ratings. 7. A multiplying factor for all the candela values in the file.
1174 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras See also Class. Watts Type Intensity Beam Field IES Standard File Format (page 2–1172) Medium Beam 50 Spot 3000 25 50 Wide Beam 20 Spot 460 38 75 Wide Beam 50 Spot 1500 38 75 Common Lamp Values for Photometric Lights The following table lists some commonly used lamps values that you can use as a guide for defining photometric lights.
General Lighting Parameters Class. Watts Type Intensity Beam Field Wide Beam 300 Spot 10000 30 60 Wide Beam 500 Spot 18000 30 60 Common Lighting Rollouts General Lighting Parameters Create panel > Lights > Create a light. > General Parameters rollout Par38 Line Voltage Lamps Create menu > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > General Parameters rollout. Class.
1176 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Shadow Type Advantages Disadvantages Area Shadows Supports transparency and opacity mapping. Slower than shadow maps. Uses very little RAM. Processes at every frame. Recommended for complex scenes with many lights or faces. The light will now cast shadows when you render the scene.
General Lighting Parameters • Use the Size spinner to set the size of the shadow map. • Use the Bias spinner to adjust the shadow offset, if necessary. • Use the Sample Range spinner to create a soft-edged shadow. To cast ray-traced shadows: Ray-traced shadows (page 3–1094) are generated Scene with shadow-mapped shadows Shadows rendered using default parameter settings Note: When you render a scene, you can turn rendering of shadows on or off. by tracing the path of rays sampled from a light source.
1178 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Note: You can also prevent objects from casting shadows by excluding them from a light. Interface Shadows group On—Determines whether the current light casts shadows or not. Default=on. Shadow Method drop-down list—Determines whether the renderer uses shadow maps (page 3–1104), ray-traced shadows (page 3–1094), advanced ray-traced shadows (page 3–1094), or area shadows (page 3–1005), to generate shadows for this light.
Exclude/Include Dialog Tip: Use ray-traced or advanced ray-traced shadows when you want shadows cast by opacity-mapped objects. Shadow-mapped shadows don’t recognize the transparent portions of the mapping, and as a result they don’t look convincing. Use Global Settings—Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this light. Turn off to enable individual control of the shadows.
1180 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras or you’ll want a light to cast shadows from one object but not from another. 2. Click Clear. Procedures Interface 3. Click OK. To exclude objects from a light: 1. In the General Parameters rollout, click Exclude. The Exclude/Include dialog is displayed. 2. Make sure Exclude is on. 3. Choose to exclude objects from Illumination, Shadow Casting, or Both. 4. In the list of object names on the left, highlight the objects you want to exclude. 5.
Shadow Parameters The Exclude/Include dialog treats a group as an object. You can exclude or include all objects in a group by selecting the group’s name in the Scene Objects list. If a group is nested within another group, it isn’t visible in the Scene Objects list. To exclude a nested group or individual objects within the group, you have to ungroup them before you use this dialog. Shadow Parameters Create panel > Lights > Create a light.
1182 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Interface You can animate the Density value. Map check box—Turn on to use the map assigned with the Map button. Default=off. Map—Assigns a map to the shadows. The map’s colors are blended with the shadow color. Default=none. Light Affects Shadow Color—When on, blends the light’s color with the shadow color (or shadow colors, if the shadow is mapped). Default=off. Color—Displays a Color Selector (page 1–157) to choose a color for the shadows cast by this light.
Spotlight Parameters Tip: The hotspot and falloff borders are not visible in shaded viewports. Use controls in the Light Cone group to adjust hotspot and falloff in the viewport. Render the scene to see the full effect of the light’s border. A cloud casts a colored shadow on the city. Spotlight Parameters Create a standard Target Spotlight or Free Spotlight, or a photometric light with Spotlight distribution.
1184 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Interface 2. On the default main toolbar, click to turn on Select And Manipulate. Now when you move the mouse over the hotspot or falloff circle, the circle turns red to show you can adjust it by dragging. Also, a tooltip displays the spotlight name, the parameter, and its value. 3. Drag the hotspot or falloff circle to adjust the value. The hotspot and falloff constrain each other, as their spinner controls do.
Advanced Effects Rollout in the previous procedures, and the later section "Manipulators for Spotlights." You can also adjust hotspot and falloff angles in a Light viewport (looking at the scene from the point of view of the spotlight). Circle/Rectangle—Determine the shape of the falloff and hotspot areas. Set Circle when you want a standard, circular light. Set Rectangle when you want a rectangular beam of light, such as light cast through a window or doorway.
1186 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras The Material Editor is where you adjust the map’s parameters. 2. Use an unused sample slot to display a map. 3. Drag the map from the Material Editor to the light’s Map button in the Advanced Effects rollout. A dialog asks if the projection map should be a copy or an instance. Choose Instance. If you choose Copy, adjusting the map in the Material Editor has no effect on the projected map. You can also drag from any other used map button, as in the Environment dialog.
mental ray Indirect Illumination Rollout (for Lights) Note: Soften Diffuse Edge reduces the amount of light, slightly. You can counter this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value. Diffuse—When on, the light affects the diffuse properties of an object’s surface. When off, the light has no effect on the diffuse surface. Default=on. Specular—When on, the light affects the specular properties of an object’s surface. When off, the light has no effect on the specular properties. Default=on.
1188 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras in the scene at once. If you need to adjust a specific light, you can use the multiplier controls for energy and photons. In general, you should rarely if ever need to turn off Use Global Settings and specify local light settings for indirect illumination. Important: In addition to the values specified here, the light must also be set to generate caustics, global illumination, or both.
mental ray Light Shader Rollout At the default value of None, the energy doesn’t decay, and photons can provide indirect illumination throughout the scene. At the value of Inverse, the energy decays proportionally to its distance from the light. That is, a photon’s energy is 1/r, where r is the distance from the light source. At the value of Inverse Square, the energy decays at an inverse square rate. That is, a photon’s energy is the inverse of the square of the distance (r) from the light source (1/r2).
1190 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras These are the light shaders provided with 3ds Max: Shader Library Light Infinite base Light Point base Light Spot base Photon Emitter Shader—Click the button to display a Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) and select a shader. Once you have selected a shader, its name appears on the button. Warning: No photon emitter shaders are provided with 3ds Max. This option is for users who have access to light map shaders via other shader libraries or custom shader code.
Intensity/Color/Attenuation Parameters The Decay controls are an additional way to make a light fade out. Interface Tip: When lights are attenuated, the light might be too bright on near surfaces or too dim on far surfaces. If you see this in renderings, exposure control can help correct the problem. It adjusts the larger dynamic range of the (simulated) physical scene, into the smaller dynamic range of the display. See Environment Panel (page 3–268) for additional information on exposure control.
1192 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Decay group Decay is an additional way to make a light’s intensity reduce over distance. Type—Sets the type of decay to use. There are three types to choose from. Tip: Because decay continues to calculate dimmer and dimmer values as the distance of the light throw increases, it’s a good idea to set at least the Far End of attenuation to eliminate unnecessary calculations. • None—(The default.) Applies no decay.
Directional Parameters Directional Parameters Create a standard Target Direct or Free Direct light. > Directional Parameters rollout The Directional Parameters rollout appears when you create or select a target direct (page 2–1145) or free direct (page 2–1147) light. These parameters control hotspots (page 3–1048) and falloff (page 3–1048). Procedures To see the directional cone in viewports: in the Rendering panel (page 3–863) of the Preferences dialog.
1194 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Note: The cone is always visible when a light is selected, so clearing this check box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light. Overshoot—When Overshoot (page 3–1082) is set, the light casts light in all directions. However, projections and shadows occur only within its falloff cone. Hotspot/Beam—Adjusts the size of a light’s cone. The Hotspot value is measured in 3ds Max units. Default=43.0. Falloff/Field—Adjusts the size of a light’s falloff.
Add Atmosphere or Effect Dialog To set up the parameters for an atmosphere or rendering effect: • In the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, choose the name of an atmosphere or effect in the list, then click Setup. If you chose an atmosphere, clicking Setup displays the Environment panel (page 3–268). If you chose an effect, clicking Setup displays the Effects panel (page 3–215). Interface Add Atmosphere or Effect Dialog Modify panel > Select light object.
1196 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras New—Lists only new atmospheres or effects. Interface Existing—Lists only atmospheres or effects that have been already assigned to the light. Adding an existing atmosphere or effect creates a new atmosphere or effect whose settings are initially identical to the previous one. Hair Light Attr(ibutes) Rollout Light hair—When on, the spot light can illuminate and cast shadows from the hair. Add a spot light. > Select a Hair and Fur-modified object.
Intensity/Color/Distribution Rollout Interface Additional Rollouts for Photometric Lights Intensity/Color/Distribution Rollout Create panel > Lights > Create a Photometric light. > Intensity/Color/Distribution rollout The Intensity/Color/Distribution rollout lets you set the type of distribution for photometric lights (page 2–1155). You can also define the color and intensity of lights.
1198 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras color is visible in the color swatch next to the temperature spinners. lamp types is provided in Photometric Lights: Common Lamp Values (page 2–1174). Filter—Use a color filter to simulate the effect of a color filter placed over the light source. For example, a red filter over a white light source casts red light. Set the filter color by clicking the color swatch to display the Color Selector (page 1–157). Default=white (RGB=255,255,255; HSV=0,0,255).
Area Light Sampling Rollout Interface Length—Sets the length of your area light. Width—Sets the width of your area light. Interface Enable Area Sampling—Turns area sampling on and off. Default=on. Num. Samples—Choose the number of samples to use for subdivision conversion. Default=16. Area Light Sampling Rollout Select a linear or photometric area light.
1200 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Procedures Web File—Selects an IES file to use as a photometric To select a photometric web file: web. The default web is a diffuse distribution shining from one edge. 1. On the Web Parameters rollout for a selected light, click the Web File button. X Rotation—Rotates the photometric web about the The Open A Photometric Web dialog is displayed. X axis. The center of rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=-180 degrees to 180 degrees. 2.
Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout batch of rays is cast to further refine the edge. The number of initial rays is specified using the Pass 1 Quality spinner. The number of secondary rays is specified using the Pass 2 Quality spinner. Advanced ray-traced shadows cast by an area light. Interface 2-Sided Shadows—When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside. This costs a bit more render time.
1202 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras properties in the Area Light Dimensions group of the Area Shadows rollout. Tip: Area shadows can take a fair amount of time to render. If you want to create a quick test (or draft) rendering, you can use the Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights toggle in the Common Parameters rollout (page 3–27) of the Render Scene dialog to speed up your rendering. When this toggle is on, the shadows are processed as if the light object is a point source.
Area Shadows Rollout Interface The shape of the area shadow array affects how shadows are cast. Left: Rectangle Right: Box 2-Sided Shadows—When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside. This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors.
1204 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras 3 to N=NxN rays. For example setting Pass 1 Quality to 5 would generate 25 rays. This is the primary control for “finding” small objects and thin spaces between objects. If the shadows are missing a small object in your scene, try increasing Pass 1 Quality, 1 step at a time. Also, if there are blotches in the penumbra (soft area), try increasing this setting.
mental ray Shadow Map Rollout Interface Increasing jitter blends the individual shadow samples. Map Size—Sets the resolution of the shadow map. Area Light Dimensions group These are the dimensions applied to a virtual light that is used to compute the area shadowing. They do not affect the actual light object. Length—Sets the length of the area shadow. Width—Sets the width of the area shadow. Height—Sets the height of the area shadow.
1206 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Turning off Color saves memory at rendering time. Interface Merge Dist.—The minimum distance between two surfaces for them to be considered “distinct.” If two surfaces are closer than this value, the shadow map treats them as a single surface. When set to 0.0, the mental ray renderer automatically calculates a distance value to use. Default=0.0 (automatic). Larger Merge Distance values reduce memory consumption, but can reduce shadow quality.
Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout and improve speed, decreasing the value will increase the sensitivity, improving quality. Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout Antialias Suppression group Supersampled Material—When on, only pass 1 is Create a light. > General Parameters rollout > Ray Traced Shadows chosen > Ray Traced Shadow Params rollout used during 2-pass antialiasing when shading a supersampled (page 3–1112) material.
1208 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras meshes. If Bias is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all. 2-Sided Shadows—When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside. This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors. Default=on.
Shadow Map Parameters Rollout Size—Sets the size (in pixels squared) of the shadow map that’s computed for the light. Left: Default shadows Right: Increasing the Bias value separates the shadow from the object. If the Bias value is too low, shadows can "leak" through places they shouldn’t, produce moire patterns or making out-of-place dark areas on meshes. If Bias is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all.
1210 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras This value does not change during an animation. You must choose the value, based on the size of the scene extents. When off, the bias is computed relative to the rest of the scene, and then normalized to 1.0. This provides a common starting bias value in scenes of any size. If the scene extents change, this internal normalization can vary from frame to frame. Default=off.
Cameras • Target cameras (page 2–1216) view the area around a target object. When you create a target camera, you see a two-part icon representing the camera and its target (a white box). The camera and the camera target can be animated independently, so target cameras are easier to use when the camera does not move along a path. • Free cameras (page 2–1215) view the area in the direction the camera is aimed.
1212 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras axis. This is no problem when you are working with a static camera. However, if you animate the camera and put it in a nearly vertical position, either up or down, the program flips the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming undefined. This creates sudden changes of view. Camera Object Icons Camera objects are visible in viewports unless you choose not to display them.
Cameras 2. With one camera selected, or if only one exists in the scene, set a Camera viewport for that camera by activating the viewport, then press C. If multiple cameras exist and none or more than one are selected, the software prompts you to choose which camera to use. You can also change to a Camera viewport by right-clicking the viewport label and then selecting Views and the camera of choice. 3.
1214 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras To control the display of camera objects, do one of the following: To constrain Pan and Orbit to be vertical or horizontal: • Hold down SHIFT as you drag in the viewport. • Go to the Display panel and in the Hide By Category rollout, turn Cameras on or off. Choose Views > Hide > Hide By Category, and toggle the menu item Hide Cameras. • Choose Tools menu > Display Floater, and on the Object Level tab turn Cameras on or off.
Free Camera the viewport. If you first selected a camera, the camera is moved to match the Perspective view. 3ds Max also changes the viewport to a camera viewport for the camera object, and makes the camera the currently selected object. Free Camera Create panel > Cameras > Free Create menu > Cameras > Free Camera Free cameras view the area in the direction where the camera is aimed.
1216 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Target Camera Create panel > Cameras > Target Create menu > Cameras > Target Camera A target camera “views” the area around the target icon that you place when you create the camera. A target camera is easier to aim than a free camera because you simply position the target object at the center of interest. You can animate both the target camera and its target to create interesting effects.
Characteristics of Cameras Field of View (FOV ) Using Cameras Characteristics of Cameras Real-world cameras use lenses to focus the light reflected by a scene onto a focal plane that has a light-sensitive surface. The field of view (FOV) controls how much of the scene is visible. The FOV is measured in degrees of the horizon. It is directly related to the focal length of the lens. For example, a 50mm lens shows 46 degrees of the horizon. The longer the lens, the narrower the FOV.
1218 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras aren’t needed for computer rendering and have no counterpart in the camera objects. The program does have counterparts for the camera movements used in movie making, such as truck, dolly, and pan. See Camera Viewport Controls (page 3–788). Procedure To match a real-world camera frame proportion: 1. Choose Rendering > Render. The Render Scene dialog is displayed. 2. In the Output Size group, click the arrow to display the list of real world output sizes. 3.
Common Camera Parameters on the camera lens settings, although they do affect the cropping of the scene.) 2. Once the Aperture Width is set, set the Lens spinner to the type of camera lens you want to emulate (for example, 50mm). If you want to maintain the same lens, avoid using the FOV or Perspective controls among the navigation icon buttons.
1220 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Objects closer to the camera than the Near distance are not visible to the camera and aren’t rendered. 3. Set the Far Clip value to position the far clipping plane. Objects farther from the camera than the Far distance are not visible to the camera and aren’t rendered. You can set the Near clipping plane close to the camera so that it doesn’t exclude any geometry, and still use the Far plane to exclude objects.
Common Camera Parameters Interface When you change the Aperture Width value in the Render Scene dialog, you also change the value in the Lens spinner field. This doesn’t change the view through the camera, but it does change the relationship between the Lens value and the FOV value, as well as the aspect ratio of the camera’s cone. FOV Direction flyout—Lets you choose how to apply the field of view (FOV) value: • Horizontal—(The default.) Applies the FOV horizontally.
1222 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Stock Lenses group 15mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, 200mm—These preset values set the camera’s focal length in millimeters. Type—Changes the camera’s type from a Target camera (page 2–1216) to a Free camera (page 2–1215), and vice versa. Note: When you switch from a target camera to a free camera, any animation applied to the camera’s target is lost, because the target object goes away.
Using Transforms to Aim a Camera With manual clipping on, the near clipping plane can be as close to the camera as 0.1 unit. Warning: Extremely large Far Clip values can produce floating-point error, which can cause Z-buffer problems in the viewport, such as objects appearing in front of other objects when they shouldn’t. Effect drop-down list—Lets you choose which multi-pass effect to generate, Depth Of Field (page 2–1228) or Motion Blur (page 2–1230). These effects are mutually exclusive.
1224 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras You can also choose Cameras from the Selection Filters list on the toolbar, and then click the target. Rotate (page 1–420) adjusts the orientation of the camera object. This transform is most useful with free cameras (page 2–1215). You can’t rotate a Target camera about its local X and Y axes, because it is constrained to aim at its target. Use Move to move the camera or its target.
Using the Horizon to Match Perspective If the image’s horizon and the camera horizon don’t match, you have to offset the image, perhaps by using a paint program. Using the Horizon to Match Perspective The horizon of a scene is the edge of vision at the height of the camera, parallel with the world coordinate plane. You can view the horizon in camera viewports. 3. Use Orbit (page 3–791) to move the camera until the perspective of the scene roughly matches that of the still image. 4.
1226 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Moving a Camera Along a Path 1. Select the camera. Having a camera follow a path is a common way to create architectural walkthroughs, roller coaster rides, and so on. 2. Activate the Camera viewport. • If the camera must bank or tilt close to the vertical (as on a roller coaster), use a free camera. Assign the Path constraint (page 2–380) directly to the camera object.
Multi-Pass Rendering Effects Multi-Pass Rendering Effects Create panel > Cameras > Target or Free > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer) Create panel > Cameras > Target button or Free button > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group. > Turn on Enable and choose Depth Of Field (mental ray).
1228 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras The f-Stop can have a value less than 1.0. This is not realistic in terms of an actual camera, but it can help you adjust the depth of field for scenes whose scale does not use realistic units. Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras Create panel > Cameras > Target button or Free button > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group > Choose Depth Of Field effect.
Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras Interface portions of the scene. In general, using Focal Depth instead of the camera’s Target Distance tends to blur the entire scene. Sampling group Display Passes—When on, the rendered frame window displays the multiple rendering passes. When off, the frame window displays only the final result. This control has no effect on previewing depth of field in camera viewports. Default=on.
1230 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras When off, the effect is a bit sharper but usually grainier. Default=on. Dither Strength—Controls how much dithering is applied to the rendered passes. Increasing this value increases the amount of dithering, and can make the effect grainier, especially at the edges of objects. Default=0.4. Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras Create panel > Cameras > Target button or Free button > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group > Choose Motion Blur effect.
Multi-Pass Motion Blur Parameters for Cameras Important: This effect is for the default scanline renderer. The mental ray renderer (page 3–77) has its own depth-of-field effect. See Motion Blur with the mental ray Renderer (page 3–88). Total Passes—The number of passes used to generate the effect. Increasing this value can increase the effect’s accuracy, but at a cost of rendering time. Default=12.
1232 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras make the effect grainier, especially at the edges of objects. Default=0.4. To use camera matching: Tile Size—Sets the size of the pattern used in dithering. This value is a percentage, where 0 is the smallest tile, and 100 is the largest. Default=32. 2. Load a bitmap as a background for the Scanline Renderer Params group These controls let you disable antialiasing or antialias filtering when you render the multi-pass scene.
Camera Match Utility 2. From the Rendering menu choose Environment. 3. In the Common Parameters rollout, under Environment Map, click the gray box marked None. This launches the Material/Map Browser. 4. Be sure to set Browse From to New; if it isn’t set already, then choose Bitmap from the list and click OK. The Select Bitmap Image File dialog appears. 5. Navigate and select the appropriate bitmap and then choose Open. Use Map is turned on automatically. 6.
1234 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras 4. If the dot is not in the right position, you can either click again with the mouse or adjust the Input Screen Coordinates to tweak its position. 5. Select the second object in the list, and repeat steps 3 and 4. 6. Repeat for all the points. By setting the red crosses, you’ve indicated the X and Y pixel position on the bitmap and correlated it with each CamPoint as it exists in 3D space. 7. Once you have all of the points set, click the Create Camera button.
Camera Match Helper Create Camera—Creates a camera in the scene whose position, orientation, and field of view is based on the current location of the CamPoint helpers and the assigned screen coordinate points. Camera Match Helper Objects Modify Camera—Modifies the position, orientation and FOV of an existing, selected camera based on the CamPoint helpers and assigned screen coordinate points. Iterations—Maximum number of iterations used to calculate the camera position.
1236 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras CamPoint Helper Create panel > Helpers > Camera Match > CamPoint Create menu > Helpers > Camera Point The CamPoint helper lets you create camera points in your scene. These points are used by the Camera Match (page 2–1232) utility to match the camera with a photographic background. The virtual camera is positioned to mimic the position of the actual camera that was used to take the photograph. geometry using snaps.
Camera Correction Modifier Camera Match Point rollout Show Axis Tripod—Controls whether an axis tripod is displayed with the Camera point object. Default=on. Axis Length—Controls the length of the axis tripod. When Show Axis Tripod is on you can watch the tripod change length in the viewport while you adjust the spinner arrows. When Show Axis Tripod is off, you can still make adjustments the Axis Length value, but the axis tripod won’t be displayed.
1238 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras Interface Amount—Sets the amount of correction for two-point perspective. Default=0.0. Direction—Biases the correction. Default=90.0. Setting Direction greater than 90.0 biases the correction to the left. Setting it less than 90.0 biases it to the right. Guess— Click to have the Camera Correction modifier set a first-guess Amount value.
Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Material Editor (page 2–1253) Material Editor, Materials, and Mapping Types of Maps (page 2–1426) Materials describe how an object reflects or transmits light. Within a material, maps can simulate textures, applied designs, reflections, refractions, and other effects. (Maps can also be used as environments and projections from lights.) The Material Editor is the dialog you use to create, alter, and apply the materials in your scene.
1240 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps For more details, follow the links in the workflow outline. Sample Slots and Material Name Workflow Outline In general, when you create a new material and apply it to an object, you follow these steps: 1. Make a sample slot (page 2–1240) active, and enter a name for the material you are about to design. 2. Choose the material type (page 2–1241).
Material Type Sample Windows or 6 X 4 Sample Windows from the pop-up menu. slots contain Standard materials of various colors, as they do if no medit.mat library is found. Material Type Every material has a type. The default is Standard (page 2–1309), which is the material type you will probably use most often. In general, other material types are for special purposes.
1242 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Lets you morph between materials using the Morpher modifier (page 1–721). • Multi/Sub-Object (page 2–1403) Lets you apply multiple sub-materials to a single object’s sub-objects. • Raytrace (page 2–1353) Supports the same kind of diffuse mapping as Standard material, but also provides fully raytraced reflections and refractions, along with other effects such as fluorescence.
Material Components Several different shaders are available. Some of these are not available for Raytrace material, as indicated. Blinn is the most general purpose of these shaders. The others have special purposes, especially regarding how the material creates highlights. • Anisotropic (page 2–1321) Creates surfaces with noncircular, "anisotropic" highlights; good for modeling hair, glass, or metal. • Blinn (page 2–1321) Creates smooth surfaces with some shininess; a general-purpose shader.
1244 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps the face is illuminated at full intensity unless the light is attenuated. Full intensity is the light’s Multiplier value times the value of the face’s surface color. The Multiplier value is 1.0 by default; the surface value is the Value component of the surface color’s HSV description (page 3–1095). As the angle of incidence increases, the intensity of the face illumination decreases. Highlights, on the other hand, are reflections of light sources.
Choosing Colors for Realism Indoor and Outdoor Lighting Representing Natural Materials Whether a scene is indoors or outdoors affects your choice of material colors, just as it affects the way you set up lights (page 2–1126). Full sunlight is bright and unidirectional. Most indoor lighting is less intense and more even (that is, multidirectional) than daylight. However, some special indoor lighting (and nighttime outdoor lighting), as for the stage, also features intense, directional light.
1246 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps using a special shading type, described later in this topic. Representing Metallic Objects Representing Manufactured Materials Metallic cup and ice cream scoop Indoor scene with manufactured materials Manufactured materials often have a synthetic color rather than an "earth tone." Also, many manufactured materials, such as plastics and porcelain glazes, are very shiny.
Using Maps to Enhance a Material Using Maps to Enhance a Material Maps provide images, patterns, color adjustments, and other effects you can apply to the visual/optical components of a material. Without maps, material design in 3ds Max is limited. Maps give the Material Editor its full flexibility, and can give you dramatic results.
1248 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Map Terminology The term "material map" is sometimes used to describe a map assigned in the material editor. A material map applies a color or pattern to a surface. This is different from maps used for displacement mapping with the Displace modifier (page 1–608), environment mapping for backgrounds, or projection mapping from lights. The term "texture map" is sometimes used as well.
Applying a Material to an Object In this case, only the first map encountered will appear in the scene. Navigating the Material/Map Tree When you build a material of any complexity, you are building a material/map tree. The root of the tree is the material itself. The branches are the maps you have assigned to the material’s components.
1250 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps space, as opposed to the XYZ coordinates that describe the scene as a whole. Most renderable objects have a Generate Mapping Coordinates parameter. If you don’t turn this on, but apply a mapped material to the object, you get a warning when you try to render. Some objects, such as editable meshes, don’t have automatic mapping coordinates. For these types of objects, you can assign coordinates by applying a UVW Map modifier (page 1–905).
Material XML Export Utility Tip: You can use the Merge function in the File group to add materials from the current library to another library. Interface Material XML Export Utility Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > More button > Utilities dialog > Material XML Export The rendering materials you create in 3ds Max can be exported to an XML file, where they can then be shared with other 3ds Max users, or used in Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2005 to modify material definitions.
1252 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Output Format group The Output Format group defines the format of the XML Material output. Native XML (vizML)—Materials are exported as raw XML. This is the same format as the XML materials from Autodesk VIZ 4. Tip: Use this format for sharing XML material files within 3ds Max. path to any referenced bitmap files. The default is an empty string, which means no path will be prepended to the bitmap filenames when written to XML.
Material Editor The name field displays only 16 characters, but a material name can be longer than that. Material Editor Main toolbar > Material Editor Rendering menu > Material Editor To make a copy of a preview material: • The Material Editor provides functions to create and edit materials (page 3–1065) and maps (page 3–1062). Materials create greater realism in a scene. A material describes how an object reflects or transmits light.
1254 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The Put Material button is available only when (1) the material in the active sample slot has the same name as a material in a scene, and (2) the material in the active sample slot is not hot. In other words, this command is meant to fit into the following overall sequence of handling materials: To apply a material to objects in a scene: 1. Select the sample slot that contains the material you want to apply. 2.
Material Editor 3. Click Select to select objects that have the active material applied to them. You can also change the selection by choosing other objects. If you change the selection, you must then click Assign Material To Selection (page 2–1285) to apply the active material to newly selected objects. To get a material from a library: 1. On the Material Editor toolbar, click Get Material (page 2–1283). A modeless Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) is displayed. 2.
1256 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps For choosing materials, see Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256). For applying materials using drag and drop techniques, see Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials (page 2–1267). For an overview of how to use the Material Editor, see Designing Materials (page 2–1239).
Material/Map Browser First, you must enable mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel (page 3–867). In addition, you must assign the mental ray renderer as the currently active renderer. Once you have enabled the extensions and the renderer, when you use the Browser, it shows mental ray materials and shaders. Materials are displayed with a yellow sphere, rather than blue for standard materials, and shaders are displayed with a yellow parallelogram, rather than green for standard maps.
1258 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To merge material libraries: 1. In the Browse From group, choose Mtl Library, and then click the Merge button. 2. In the Merge Material Library dialog (page 2–1298), select a material library other than the current library, or select a 3ds Max or VIZ Render (DRF (page 3–528)) scene. the material will still appear correctly, but it will be rerendered when it first appears in the Browser, while all the other icons will appear immediately.
Material/Map Browser green parallelogram. When you list both materials and maps, the materials are listed first. Note: Icons of materials and maps for which Show Map in Viewport (page 2–1289) is on are red, as shown in the following example: (those displayed when you choose View Small Icons or View List + Icons) can be saved as thumbnail images in the material library file. (See the Procedures for this topic, above.) Keep in mind that the saved thumbnails increase the size of the material library file.
1260 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps This button is available only when the Browser is viewing a library. Delete from Library—Removes the selected material or map from the library display. The library on disk is not affected until you save it. Use Open to reload the original library from disk. This button is only active when you select a named material that exists in the current library. This button is available only when the Browser is viewing a library.
Material/Map Browser This is always unavailable in the modal version of the Browser. File group Maps—Turns display of maps on or off. This is always unavailable in the modal version of the Browser. Incompatible—When on, displays materials or maps and shaders that are incompatible with the currently active renderer. The incompatible materials are displayed in gray.
1262 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps This group of radio buttons is displayed only when you’ve chosen New under Browse From. It controls what types of maps the Browser displays in the material/map list. (The Browser displays materials regardless of this setting.) 2D Maps—Lists only 2D map types. 3D Maps—Lists only 3D (procedural) (page 3–1091) map types. Compositors—Lists only compositor map types. Color Mods—Lists only color modifier map types.
Copying and Pasting: Right-Click Menu for Materials, Maps, Bitmaps, and Colors When No Map Has Been Either Assigned or Copied If no map has been assigned and you haven’t copied a map yet, then no right-click menu appears at all. Bitmap Right-Click Menu Cut—Removes the assigned map, and puts a copy of it in the copy buffer. Copy—Copies the map without removing it. This menu appears when you click a button that specifies an external bitmap (page 3–1011). See Bitmap 2D Map (page 2–1441).
1264 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Sample Slots Material Editor > Sample slots display The Material Editor has 24 sample slots. You can view them all at once, six at a time (the default), or 15 at a time. When you view fewer than 24 slots at once, scroll bars let you move among them. See Material Editor Options (page 2–1279) and Sample Slot Right-Click Menu (page 2–1266). A material in a slot is shown on a sample object. By default, the object is a sphere.
Sample Slots Hot and Cool Materials A sample slot is "hot" (page 3–1047) when the material in the slot is assigned to one or more surfaces in the scene. When you use the Material Editor to adjust a hot sample slot, the material in the scene changes at the same time. If you drag to copy a material from a hot slot to another slot, the destination slot is cool, and the original slot remains hot.
1266 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. Right-click in the sample slot, and choose Render Map from the pop-up menu. The Render Map dialog (page 2–1299) is displayed. 3. Choose Single or the range of frames you want to render. 4. In the Dimensions group box, specify the pixel resolution of the map. 5. Click the Files button, and specify a path and file name for the file. Make sure Save To File is on unless you want to see the image only in a rendered frame window (page 3–5). 6.
Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials Shortcut—Double-click a sample slot to display the magnified window. The magnify window’s title bar displays the contents of the editable material name field (page 2–1292). It varies depending on which level of the material is active. 6 X 4 Sample Windows—Displays a 6 X 4 array of sample slots. (24 windows.) Dragging and Dropping Maps and Materials You can move materials from sample slots to objects using a drag-and-drop operation.
1268 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps one of these selection modifiers: Mesh Select (page 1–710), Patch Select (page 1–743), or Poly Select (page 1–752). Material Map Buttons The material map buttons you can drag from include: • The buttons in the Maps rollout (page 2–1315) See also • The small shortcut map buttons on the Basic Parameters rollouts (page 2–1311). Applying a Material to an Object (page 2–1249) • Any map buttons at any level.
Creating a Custom Sample Object The new multi/sub-object material appears in the active sample slot. How the Multi/Sub-Object Material Is Created The multi/sub-object material is created in one of three ways, depending on what material is already applied to the selected sub-objects: • No material applied If the selected faces have no material applied, a new multi/sub-object material is created. The dragged material becomes a sub-material in the new material.
1270 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps object listed in the Track View hierarchy is used as the sample object. If the object is of a type that doesn’t have a Generate Mapping Coords check box, apply a UVW Map modifier (page 1–905) to it. After you have saved the single-object scene as a .max file, use the Custom Sample Object group in the Material Editor Options dialog (page 2–1280) to specify the file.
Material Editor Tools sample-slot lighting, do not add any lights to the scene. Note: These fields are not displayed unless you 3. Save the .max file. change a toggle in Preferences > Advanced Lighting. 4. In the Material Editor Options dialog, specify Buttons below the sample slots (the "toolbar") the file as the Custom Sample Object file. 5. Turn on Load Camera and/or Lights. Sample Slots set to use the custom object now display the object as seen through the camera.
1272 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Video Color Check (page 2–1278) Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview (page 2–1278) Material Editor > Menu bar Material Editor Options (page 2–1280) The Material Editor menu bar appears at the top of the Material Editor window. It provides another way to invoke the various Material Editor tools.
Material Editor Menu Bar Navigation Menu • Clean MultiMaterial (page 2–1552) The Navigation menu provides tools that navigate a material’s hierarchy. • Instance Duplicate Map (page 2–1555) • Reset Material Editor Slots—Replaces all materials in the Material Editor with the default material type. This action is not undoable, but you can restore the previous state of the Material Editor with the Restore Material Editor Slots command (see below).
1274 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 4. Open the Material Editor and choose Utilities menu > Restore Material Editor Slots. Materials and Radiosity The Material Editor status before step 2 is restored. Reflectance and Transmittance Display Material Editor > Reflectance and Transmittance fields (below the sample slots) These fields show the reflectance and transmittance of the active material. Both the average value and the maximum value are shown.
Sample Type Left: Wood grain bitmap as originally photographed has too high a reflectance. Right: Reducing the RGB Level value reduces the map’s reflectance. Material Minimum Maximum Ceramic 20% 70% Fabric 20% 70% Masonry 20% 50% Metal 30% 90% Paint 30% 80% Paper 30% 70% Plastic 20% 80% Stone 20% 70% Wood 20% 50% Interface Reflectance—Reflectance is the percentage of diffuse light energy that is reflected from a material.
1276 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The Sample Type flyout lets you choose which geometry to display in the active sample slot (page 2–1264). This flyout has three buttons: Backlight Material Editor > Backlight • Sphere (the default)—Displays the material on a sphere. • Material Editor menu > Options menu > Backlight Cylinder—Displays the material on a cylinder. • • Cube—Displays the material on a cube. Custom—Displays the material on a custom object.
Sample Slot Background Sample Slot Background Material Editor > Background Material Editor menu > Options menu > Background The buttons on the Sample UV Tiling flyout adjust the repetition of the map (page 3–1062) pattern on the sample object in the active sample slot. The tiling pattern you set with this option affects only the sample slot. It has no effect on the tiling on the geometry in the scene, which you control with parameters in the map’s own coordinates rollout.
1278 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Procedures Video Color Check Material Editor > Video Color Check To check for illegal video colors: 1. On the Material Editor, turn on Video Color Check (page 2–1278). The active sample slot now renders "illegal" pixels as black. Illegal pixels have a color that is beyond the safe video threshold. If Video Color Check detects illegal colors, try reducing the saturation of the material colors in question. 2.
Material Editor Options you could map an animation of moving clouds to a clerestory window. The Make Preview options let you experiment with the effect in the Material Editor before you apply it to your scene. The buttons on the Make Preview, Play Preview, Save Preview flyout let you preview the effect of an animated map on the object in a sample slot (see Sample Type (page 2–1275) for alternatives to the default sphere.
1280 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps materials and maps are displayed in the sample slots (page 2–1264). Interface Material Editor Options Dialog Material Editor > Material Editor Options > Material Editor Options dialog Material Editor menu > Options menu > Options The Material Editor Options dialog controls how materials and maps are displayed in the sample slots (page 2–1264). Note: These settings are “sticky”; they survive a reset, and even quitting and restarting the program.
Material Editor Options Dialog animated materials in the Material Editor, but you only need to see one at a time. This check box is unavailable when Don’t Animate is on. Default=off. use the new background in place of the checkered background. The custom background is stored in the 3dsmax.ini file, so it is available from session to session. Default=off.
1282 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps color swatch to change the color. When the lock button is on, changing the Ambient Light color here or on the Environment panel (page 3–268) changes both; when off, changing one setting does not affect the other. Use the Default button to return to the initial setting. Background Intensity—Sets the background intensity in the sample slots. The range is from 0 (black) to 1 (white). Default=0.2. Use the Default button to return to the initial setting.
Select By Material 3 X 2—Specifies a 3 x 2 array of sample slots. (The default: 6 windows.) 5 X 3—Specifies a 5 X 3 array of sample slots. (15 windows.) Procedure To select objects that have the same material applied: 1. Click a sample slot that contains a material in the scene. 6 X 4—Specifies a 6 X 4 array of sample slots. (24 White corner brackets indicate materials that are in the scene. windows.
1284 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. On the Material Editor toolbar, click Get Material (page 2–1283). 3. In the list of materials, double-click the name of the material you want to get. You can also drag the name of the material to the sample slot. A modeless Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) is displayed. The material you chose replaces the previous material in the active sample slot. 3.
Put Material to Scene Procedure Put Material to Scene Material Editor > Put Material to Scene Material Editor menu > Material menu > Put to Scene Put Material To Scene updates a material in the scene after you edit the material. Put Material To Scene is available only when: • The material in the active sample slot has the same name as a material in a scene. To put a material back into a scene: • On the Material Editor toolbar, click Put Material To Scene (page 2–1285).
1286 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. Select the objects you want to apply the material to. Make Material Copy 3. Drag from the sample slot to the objects. If more than one object is selected, you are asked whether you want to apply to the single object or to the whole selection. You can also apply materials by clicking Assign Material To Selection (page 2–1285) on the Material Editor toolbar.
Put to Library 2. Open the Material Editor. 3. Choose a sample slot, click the Material Type button, choose Multi/Sub-Object in the Material/Map Browser, and then click OK. The material becomes visible in the material library display in the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256). The material is saved to the library file on disk. (You can also save a library by using the Save button in the Material/Map Browser.) Procedure 4. Select the box, and then apply the new multi/sub-object material to it. 5.
1288 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps only if you save the rendered scene in RLA or RPF format. However, the effects channel data is available to rendering effects at render time. Material Effects Channel Flyout Zero (0), the default, indicates that no material effects channel is assigned. Material Editor > Tool buttons > Material Effects Channel flyout A value from 1 to 15 says to apply a Video Post or rendering effect that uses this channel ID to this material.
Show Map in Viewport Note: With the software display driver (page Show Map in Viewport Material Editor > Show Map in Viewport Material Editor menu > Material menu > Show Map in Viewport Left: Map shown on sample cube Right: Map shown in a viewport Show Map In Viewport displays mapped materials on the surfaces of objects in viewports with the interactive renderer (page 3–1124).
1290 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Particle Age and Particle MBlur maps do not preview in viewports. The object is shaded but the map no longer appears. Multiple Maps in Viewports Viewports can display multiple maps. For multiple map display, the display driver must be OpenGL (page 3–884) or Direct3D (page 3–888). The software display driver (page 3–884) does not support multiple map display. The composite map (page 2–1498) and mix map (page 2–1499) support multiple map display.
Go Forward to Sibling Tip: You can also navigate through the levels of a material with the Material/Map Navigator (page 2–1291). Go Forward to Sibling Material Editor > Go Forward to Sibling Material Editor menu > Navigation menu > Go Forward to Sibling Go Forward To Sibling moves to the next map or material at the same level in the current material.
1292 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Pick Material From Object (Eyedropper) Material Editor > Pick Material From Object Material Editor menu > Material menu > Pick from Object The view buttons are as follows: V iew List—Displays the materials and maps in list format. Blue spheres are materials. Green parallelograms are maps. The green parallelograms turn red if Show Map in Viewport is on for a material. View List + Icons—Displays the materials and maps as small icons in a list.
Type Button (Materials and Maps) the names of maps and sub-materials assigned at lower levels of the map or material hierarchy. The name of the material is not a file name: it can contain spaces, numbers, and special characters. It can be of any length. Note: In releases prior to 3ds Max 4, material names were limited to 16 characters. As of 3ds Max 4, you can assign material names of arbitrary length. This field also functions as a drop-down list. At the top level, it shows only the material or map name.
1294 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Changing One Material into Another Probably the easiest way to animate the change of one material into another is to create a Blend material (page 2–1397), make the two other materials its sub-materials, and then animate its Mix Amount parameter. 2. In the Create Material Preview dialog, set the preview conditions you want, and then click OK. The Material Editor creates the preview. To play back a preview of an animated material: 1.
Copy (Instance) Map Dialog End Condition—Sets what happens when the bitmap animation ends (if the bitmap animation happens to be shorter than the scene): Interface Loop—Causes the bitmap animation to begin over again. Ping Pong—Plays the bitmap animation again, but backward. For example, a four-frame animation plays 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, and so on. Hold—Freezes on the last frame of the bitmap animation.
1296 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Copy—Copies the color you dragged. Preview Range group Active Time Segment—Renders the active time Create Material Preview Dialog segment (page 3–998). Custom Range—Renders a custom range from the Material Editor > Make/Play/Save Preview flyout > Make Preview start to the end frame you specify in the spinners below.
Merge Dialog (Material Library) you can see the updated material name in the “Scene Name” column, while the original name in the source scene appears in the “Source Name” column. Interface Auto-Rename—Click to have 3ds Max automatically rename the material by appending a sequence number to the duplicate material name. Cancel—Cancels further merging of materials with duplicate names. If you have already merged some materials, they appear in the open, current library.
1298 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface Interface This is a standard Windows file dialog. It lets you select either material library (.mat) files, 3ds Max (.max), or VIZ Render (DRF (page 3–528)) scene files. When you click OK, a further Merge dialog (page 2–1297) is displayed. This lets you select by name the materials you want to merge with the open library. Material list—Shows the names of all materials in the library or scene. All—Selects all materials in the list.
Render Map Dialog Render Map Dialog Material Editor > Right-click a sample slot. > Render Map > Render Map dialog Dimensions group These controls specify the size of the rendered frames, in pixels. Width—Specifies the frame width, in pixels. The Render Map dialog is displayed when you use Render Map on the Sample Slots Right-Click Menu (page 2–1266) to render the map displayed in a sample slot Interface Height—Specifies the frame height, in pixels.
1300 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps File name field—Displays the name of the file you Interface chose. Render—Renders the map to a rendered frame window (page 3–5), and to a file if you chose one. Replace Map Dialog Material Editor > Go to a map level or a standalone map. > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Choose a compound map. The Replace Map dialog is displayed when you change a map type to any type of map that can have sub-maps.
Types of Materials Interface • Standard material (page 2–1309) is the default material. This is a versatile surface model with a large number of options. • Raytrace material (page 2–1353) can create fully raytraced reflections and refractions. It also supports fog, color density, translucency, fluorescence, and other special effects. • Architectural material (page 2–1376) provides a physically accurate material.
1302 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps DirectX 9, and you must be using the Direct3D display driver. • The XRef material (page 2–1425) lets you externally reference a material in a different scene file. Other material types fall into the category of Compound materials (page 2–1396). Compound Materials Compound materials combine other materials in some way. • Blend (page 2–1397) material mixes two materials on a single side of a surface.
SuperSampling Rollout In 3ds Max the default is to apply a single supersampling method to all materials in the scene. This feature gives you more control over your scenes, especially larger models that make use of many materials, by letting you control the supersampling at a global level from the Rendering dialog. You can override this locally by turning off Use Global Settings. It also gives you file compatibility and workflow replication with DRF files imported from VIZ Render.
1304 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Name Description Hammersley Spaces samples regularly along the X axis, but along the Y axis it spaces them according to a scattered, "quasi random" pattern. Depending on Quality, the number of samples can range from 4 to 40. This method is not adaptive. MAX 2.5 Star The sample at the center of the pixel is averaged with four samples surrounding it. The pattern is like the fives on dice.
mental ray Connection Rollout Turning on Adaptive On can reduce the amount of time required to supersample. Default=on. Interface Threshold—Controls the Adaptive methods. Visible only for the Adaptive Halton and Adaptive Uniform methods. A change in color greater than the Threshold value causes the adaptive methods to take the full number of samples specified by the Quality. If the color does not change as much, the adaptive method takes fewer samples and does not require as much processing time.
1306 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Note: Using a shader for the Surface component can result in a material whose appearance in mental ray renderings is completely different from the appearance it has in the sample slot, viewports, and scanline renderings. Basic Shaders group Surface—Shades the surface of objects that have this material. Default=locked to parent material.
mental ray Connection Rollout The photon component can be assigned the following shaders: Shader Library DGS Material (page 2–1389) 3ds Max Shader Library Material to Shader (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Ocean lume Dielectric Material Photon (page 2–1529) 3ds Max Volume—Assigns a volume shader (page 3–93).
1308 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Shader Library • Metal Bump shader (page 2–1424) Depth Fade contour Note: This rollout does not appear for Factor Color contour Layer Thinner contour Multi/Sub-Object and Shell materials, which are simply containers of other materials. Simple contour See also Width From Color contour DirectX 9 Shader Material (page 2–1422) Width From Light contour Width From Light Dir contour Interface Light Map—Assigns a light map shader.
Standard Material Plug-in drop-down list—Use the drop-down list to choose a DirectX viewport shader. The list is unavailable when DX Display Of Standard Material is on. Standard Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Standard Standard Color Components A surface of a "single" color usually reflects many colors. Standard materials typically use a four-color model to simulate this. (There are some variations depending on which shader (page 2–1310) you use.
1310 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Warning: When you change the shading type of a material, you lose the settings (including map assignments) for any parameters that the new shader does not support. If you want to experiment with different shaders for a material with the same general parameters, copy the material to a different sample slot (page 2–1264) before you change its shading type.
Basic Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) Procedures To select a material’s shading type: 1. In the Material Editor, click an unused sample slot to make it active. 2. In the Shader Basic Parameters rollout, open the Shading drop-down list. 3. Click the name of the shading type to use for the active material. To use Wire mode: • In the Shader Basic Parameters rollout, turn on Wire. The material is now shaded as a wireframe mesh.
1312 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2–1323), and Oren-Nayar-Blinn (page 2–1323) shaders. • Roughness (page 2–1331) controls how quickly the diffuse component blends into the ambient component. Roughness is available only for the Multi-Layer (page 2–1323) and Oren-Nayar-Blinn (page 2–1323) shaders. Highlight Controls Example: The Basic Parameters rollout for the Anisotropic shader. Basic Parameters rollouts vary depending on which shader is chosen.
Extended Parameters Rollout (Standard Material) These can be used to create Standard materials with realistic transparency. • In—Increases transparency toward the inside of the object, as in a glass bottle. Additive Opacity and the Alpha Channel • Out—Increases transparency toward the outside of the object, as in a cloud of smoke. By default, additive opacity does not generate an alpha value. In other words, the alpha value is zero, indicating no transparency.
1314 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The IOR controls how severely the material refracts transmitted light. Left at 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind the transparent object does not distort. At 1.5 the object behind distorts greatly, like a glass marble. At an IOR slightly less than 1.0, the object reflects along its edges, like a bubble seen from under water. Default=1.0. Material IOR Value Acetone 1.360 Ethyl Alcohol 1.360 Sugar Solution 30% 1.380 Alcohol 1.
Maps Rollout (Standard Material) Wire group Size—Sets the size of the wire in wireframe mode (page 3–1128). You can set either pixels or current units. In—Chooses how to measure wire. • Pixels—(The default.) Measures wire in pixels. With pixels, wires maintain the same apparent thickness regardless of the scale of the geometry or how near or far the object is positioned. • Units—Measures wire in 3ds Max units.
1316 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Blending Map Amounts for Opacity and Other Material Components file. Click the Open button and then choose the library to browse. When you map a scalar component (such as Specular Level, Glossiness, Self-Illumination, and Opacity), the component’s value in the Basic Parameters (page 2–1311) rollout is blended with its associated map Amount in the Maps rollout. 3. Use the display buttons to choose how you view maps.
Maps Rollout (Standard Material) The Material Editor displays the map’s parameters. The parameters for the map’s parent material are displayed. Also, the Show End Result and Go To Parent buttons become unavailable. 2. To view a map’s parameters: The sample slot shows the map instead of the material. If the map contains sub-maps, these are also visible. • If you are currently at the material level in the Material Editor, click the button that corresponds to the map.
1318 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Particle MBlur. Also, the appearance of the Falloff map in viewports give only a vague indication of how it will appear when rendered. To move directly to an ancestor: 1. Below the Material Editor toolbar, click the arrow to the right of the map’s name field (page 2–1292). Show Map In Viewport is unavailable if the active map type cannot display in viewports. Displaying mapped materials in a viewport can slow performance.
Maps Rollout (Standard Material) 4. Double-click the name of the map type (not a material type) you want to use, or drag the map to a sample slot. The sample slot now contains a standalone map not associated with material parameters. 5. Use the Material Editor to modify the map as you would any other map. By default, the sample slot displays a map with no three-dimensional shading. You can change this in the Material Editor Options dialog (page 2–1280). Interface (page 3–1091).
1320 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps depending on the current shader (page 2–1310). The last four rows are always Bump, Reflection, Refraction, and Displacement, in that order. Note: The sub-material and sub-map buttons for most materials and maps have check boxes beside each button. These turn that branch of the material or map off or on. For example, in the Top/Bottom material, the Top Material and Bottom Material buttons each have check boxes.
Anisotropic Shader over. Generally, sliding friction is lower than static friction due to surface tension effects. For example, once steel starts sliding over brass (a value of static friction that might run from 0.05 to 0.2), the sliding friction drops to a significantly lower value, on the order of .01 to 0.1.
1322 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Blinn, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, and Phong Highlights (page 2–1334)) as often as you do with Phong shading. highlights. Metal materials calculate their own specular color, which can vary between the material’s diffuse color and the color of the light. You can’t set a metal material’s specular color. Blinn shading tends to have soft, round highlights. With Blinn shading, you can obtain highlights produced by light glancing off the surface at low angles.
Multi-Layer Shader Multi-Layer Shader Material Editor > Standard material > Shader Basic Parameters rollout > Multi-Layer shader > Multi-Layer Basic Parameters rollout Oren-Nayar-Blinn Shader Material Editor > Standard material > Shader Basic Parameters rollout > Blinn shader > Oren-Nayar-Blinn shader > Oren-Nayar-Blinn Basic Parameters rollout The Oren-Nayar-Blinn shader is a variant of the Blinn shader (page 2–1321).
1324 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps shiny, regular surfaces. This shader interpolates intensities across a face based on the averaged face normals of adjacent faces. It calculates the normal for every pixel of the face. Sample of Strauss shading Phong-shaded highlights are typically less regular than Blinn highlights. Phong shading can accurately render bump, opacity, shininess, specular, and reflection maps. The Blinn and Phong shaders have the same basic parameters (page 2–1311).
Strauss Shader To preview transparency in the sample slots, view the sample object against a background. Click the checkered Background (page 2–1277) button to the right of the sample slots. Click the map button to assign a map to the color component. See Diffuse Mapping (page 2–1339). This button is a shortcut: you can also assign color mapping in the Maps (page 2–1315) rollout.
1326 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Glossiness, the curve grows shorter; as you increase it, the curve grows taller. Translucent Shader Material Editor > Standard material > Shader Basic Parameters rollout > Translucent shader > Translucent Basic Parameters rollout choose to have highlights on both sides; to model materials like frosted glass, which is reflective on one side only, you can choose to have highlights on only one side.
Color Controls Procedures Basic Parameters for Standard Materials To change a color component: 1. Click the color swatch next to the color component you want to change. The Material Editor displays a Color Selector (page 1–157). Color Controls Right-clicking the color swatch also displays the Color Selector. Material Editor > Standard material > Anisotropic, Blinn, Metal, Multi-Layer, Oren-Nayar-Blinn, or Phong Basic Parameters rollout > First group in the rollout (unlabeled) 2.
1328 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To unlock two color components: • locking are best used as conveniences when you design a new basic material. Click the lock button to turn it off. The two colors remain the same until you change one of them, or both. Interface ambient color (page 3–1002). The ambient color is the color in shadow Ambient—Controls the (indirect light). Diffuse—Controls the diffuse color (page 3–1023). The diffuse color is the color in direct light.
Self-Illumination Setting There are two ways to specify self-illumination. You can turn on the check box and use a self-illumination color, or turn off the check box and use a monochrome spinner, which is comparable to using a gray scale self-illumination color. Self-illuminated materials do not show shadows cast onto them, and they are unaffected by the lights in the scene. The brightness (Value in the HSV color description (page 3–1095)) remains the same regardless of the scene’s lighting.
1330 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Mono spinner—When Color is off, the diffuse component is used as the self-illumination color, and this spinner lets you adjust the amount of self-illumination. At 0, there is no self-illumination. At 100, the diffuse color takes over from the ambient color. Click the map button to assign a map to the self-illumination component. See Self-Illumination Mapping (page 2–1343).
Roughness Roughness Material Editor > Standard material > Multi-Layer or Oren-Nayar-Blinn Basic Parameters rollout > Advanced Diffuse group (unlabeled for Multi-Layer) Roughness controls how quickly the diffuse component blends into the ambient component. Note: Only the Multi-Layer (page 2–1323) and Oren-Nayar-Blinn (page 2–1323) shaders have roughness. Adjusting diffuse level Procedure To adjust the diffuse level: • Change the value of Diffuse Level. The material grows lighter or darker.
1332 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Click the map button to assign a map to Roughness. This button is a shortcut: you can also assign Diffuse Roughness mapping in the Maps rollout (page 2–1315). See Diffuse Roughness Mapping (page 2–1341).
Anisotropic Highlights is best previewed against a pattern background (page 2–1277) in the sample slot. Click the map button to assign a map to the opacity component. See Opacity Mapping (page 2–1344). This button is a shortcut: you can also assign opacity mapping in the Maps rollout (page 2–1315). Specular Highlight Controls Anisotropic Highlights The intensity of the Highlight curves and the highlights in the preview change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight.
1334 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Click the map button to assign a map to the specular level component. See Specular Level Mapping (page 2–1342). This button is a shortcut: you can also assign specular level mapping in the Maps rollout (page 2–1315). Glossiness—Affects the size of the specular highlight. As you increase the value, the highlight gets smaller and the material appears shinier. Default=25. Click the map button to assign a map to the glossiness component.
Metal Highlights glossiness, the curve is at its maximum width. At 100% glossiness, the curve is extremely narrow. Interface Highlight graph—This curve shows the effect of adjusting the values of Specular Level and Glossiness. As you decrease Glossiness, the curve grows wider; as you increase Specular Level, the curve grows taller.
1336 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps curve is overloaded: it grows wider, and a wider area is at the maximum highlight intensity. Increasing the Specular Level also dims the diffuse color. The shape of the Highlight curve affects the blending between the specular and diffuse color regions of the material. The steeper the curve, the less blending there is and the sharper the edge of specular and glancing highlights.
Translucent Highlights The width of the white highlight curve and the highlights in the preview change. At 0% anisotropy, both highlight curves are the same and the highlight is circular, as in Blinn and Phong shading. At 100% anisotropy, the white highlight curve and the highlights are extremely narrow. To adjust the orientation of a highlight (specular) layer: • Change the value of Orientation. Highlights in the preview show the change in orientation. The display of the highlight curve does not change.
1338 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Procedures To increase or decrease the strength of a highlight: • Change the value of Specular Level. The intensity of the Highlight curve and the highlight in the preview change. At 0% specular level, there is no highlight. At values greater than 100%, the curve is overloaded: it grows wider, and a wider area is at the maximum highlight intensity. At 100% specular level, the curve is at its maximum height with no overloading.
Ambient Color Mapping Mapping Standard Material Components ambient light using the Environment dialog (page 3–268). Procedure To map the ambient color: Ambient Color Mapping Material Editor > Standard material > Maps rollout > Ambient button 1. Make sure the ambient and diffuse components have their maps unlocked. Click to turn off the lock button. The Map button for ambient color becomes available. 2. Click the Map button for Ambient color. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 3.
1340 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps of the map replace the material’s diffuse color component. This is the most common kind of mapping. Mapping the diffuse color is like painting an image on the surface of the object. For example, if you want a wall to be made out of brick, you can choose a map with an image of bricks, such as Bricks (page 2–1468).
Diffuse Roughness Mapping rollout. When the Amount is 0 percent, the map isn’t used at all. Procedure To map the diffuse level value: 1. Click the Map button for Diffuse Level. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK. The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the map parameters. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK.
1342 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Procedure To map the specular color: 1. Click the Map button for Specular color. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK. The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the map parameters. 3. Use the map controls to set up the map. while specular mapping alters the color of highlights.
Self-Illumination Mapping You can select a bitmap file or procedural map (page 3–1091) that affects where specular highlights appear. A map assigned to glossiness determines which areas of the whole surface are more glossy and which areas are less glossy, depending on the intensity of colors in the map. Black pixels in the map produce full glossiness. White pixels remove glossiness completely, and intermediate values reduce the size of the highlight.
1344 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 3. Use the map controls to set up the map. Procedure To map the opacity value: Opacity Mapping Material Editor > Standard material > Maps rollout > Opacity button 1. Click the Map button for Opacity. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK. The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the map parameters. 3. Use the map controls to set up the map.
Anisotropy Mapping window. Ray-traced shadows (page 3–1094) cast by transparent objects are tinted by the filter color. (In version 1 and 2, you specified the filter color on the Basic Parameters rollout (page 2–1311). As of version 3, the filter color is specified on the Extended Parameters rollout (page 2–1312).) the anisotropic highlight, roughly (but not necessarily) within the area specified by the glossiness parameter. Black and white values have little effect.
1346 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Orientation Mapping Material Editor > Standard material > Shader Basic Parameters rollout > Anisotropic or Multi-Level shader > Maps rollout > Orientation button Tip: Using an instance of the same map to control both anisotropy and orientation can give you good control over anisotropic highlights. Procedure To map the orientation value: 1. Click the Map button for Orientation. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2.
Metalness Mapping Metalness Mapping Material Editor > Standard material > Shader Basic Parameters rollout > Strauss shader > Maps rollout > Metalness button Procedure To map the metalness value: 1. Click the Map button for Metalness. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types, and then click OK. The Material Editor is now at the map level, and displays controls for the map parameters. 3. Use the map controls to set up the map.
1348 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Bump mapping uses the intensity of the map to affect the surface of the material. In this case, the intensity affects the apparent bumpiness of the surface: white areas protrude, and black areas recede. Use bump maps when you want to take the smoothness off a surface, or to create an embossed look. Keep in mind, however, that the depth effect of a bump map is limited. If you want extreme depth in a surface, you should use modeling techniques instead.
Reflection Mapping Reflection Mapping Material Editor > Standard material > Maps rollout > Reflection button map doesn’t move with the object, but with changes in the view, as do real reflections. The most common use of reflection maps in a realistic scene is to add just a touch of reflection to an otherwise non-reflective surface. By default, reflection map strength is 100 percent, as it is for other maps. For many kinds of surfaces, however, reducing the strength gives the most realistic result.
1350 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. In the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291), choose the Reflect/Refract map type, and then click OK. Adjusting the map’s Strength slider in the parent material’s Maps rollout controls how reflective the material is. At 100 percent, the material is fully reflective. To assign a bitmap as a reflection map: 1. In the Maps rollout, click the Map button labeled Reflection. In the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291), double-click Bitmap.
Refraction Mapping in. Typically this is related to the object’s density. The higher the IOR, the denser the object. Material IOR Value Topaz 1.610 You can also use a map to control the index of refraction. IOR maps always interpolate between 1.0 (the IOR of air) and the setting in the IOR parameter. For example, if you set the IOR to 3.55 and use a black-and-white Noise map to control IOR, the IORs rendered on the object will be set to values between 1.0 and 3.
1352 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To assign a bitmap as a refraction map: 1. In the Maps rollout, click the Refraction map button. 2. Use the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1291) to choose the Bitmap type. 3. Use the file dialog to choose the bitmap file. For bitmapped refractions, you don’t necessarily want to reduce the map strength. The displacement Amount is measured as a percentage of the diagonal of the bounding box for the object that contains the patch or surface.
Raytrace Material mapping of an editable mesh can cause problems because of the way the underlying mesh is tessellated. (These problems don’t occur when you apply displacement mapping to a NURBS surface.) When this happens, smoothing does not work properly and you can see the underlying wireframe mesh in the surface itself. To correct this problem, use these techniques: • Avoid applying displacement mapping to large areas of a single color.
1354 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps surface shading that a standard material does. It can also create fully raytraced reflections and refractions. It also supports fog, color density, translucency (page 3–1121), fluorescence (page 3–1036), and other special effects. The reflections and refractions Raytrace material generates are more accurate than those produced by the Reflect/Refract (page 2–1509) map. Rendering raytraced objects can be slower than using Reflect/Refract.
Raytrace Basic Parameters Rollout Raytracing Acceleration Parameters Dialog (page 2–1372) but the color components of a Raytrace material behave differently. Raytrace Exclude/Include Dialog (page 2–1372) As with standard materials, you can use a map for Raytrace color components and various other parameters. The small buttons to the right of the color swatches and parameters take you to the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256), where you select a map of corresponding type.
1356 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 3–1128). You can specify the wire size in the Extended Parameters rollout. With pixels, wires maintains the same apparent thickness regardless of the scale of the geometry or how near or far the object is positioned. With units, the wires appear thinner at a distance and thicker at close range, as if they were modeled in the geometry. Face Map—Applies the material to the faces of the geometry.
Raytrace Basic Parameters Rollout change the color, click the swatch and then use the Color Selector (page 1–157). • Fresnel—Clicking the check box a second time displays this option. When active, applies a Fresnel effect to the reflection. This can add a bit of refraction to the reflecting object, depending on the viewing angle of the object. color filters scene elements that are behind the object with Raytrace material.
1358 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps transmitted light. At 1.0, the IOR of air, the object behind the transparent object does not distort. At 1.5, the object behind distorts greatly, like a glass marble. At an IOR slightly less than 1.0, the object reflects along its edges, like a bubble seen from under water. Default=1.0. Material IOR Value Sugar Solution 30% 1.380 Alcohol 1.329 Flourite 1.434 Quartz, Fused 1.
Raytrace Basic Parameters Rollout Specular Highlight group The controls in this group affect the appearance of specular highlights. Specular highlights simulate the surface of the raytraced object reflecting the lights in the scene. Changing the color or intensity of lights in the scene can change the appearance of specular highlights. As in standard materials, as you adjust the values in this group the highlight curve at the right changes to give you an idea of the effect.
1360 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Raytrace Extended Parameters Rollout Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Raytrace > Extended Parameters rollout The Extended Parameters rollout for a Raytrace material (page 2–1353) controls the material’s special effects, transparency properties, and advanced reflectivity. Interface Object with raytrace material using translucency and fluorescence Extra Lighting—Adds light to the surface of objects with the Raytrace material.
Raytrace Extended Parameters Rollout with a projector light. On thicker objects, you can get some good wax-like effects. Fluorescence and Fluor. Bias—Creates an effect similar to black light on a black light poster. The light from a black light is largely ultraviolet, outside the visible spectrum. Under black light, fluorescent (page 3–1036) paints flare or glow.
1362 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The Amount controls the amount of density color. Reducing this value reduces the density color effect. Range=0 to 1.0. Default=1.0. Render objects inside raytraced objects—Turns the rendering of objects inside raytraced objects on or off. Default=on. A thin piece of tinted glass is mainly clear, while a thick piece of the same glass has more color. The Start and End controls help you simulate this effect. They are expressed in world units.
Raytracer Controls Rollout Interface the renderer’s G-buffer (page 3–1040) on or off. Default=on. By default, Raytrace material and Raytrace map reflect effects assigned to a material’s ID, so that G-buffer effects are not lost. For example, if a raytraced object reflects a lamp made to glow with the Video Post Glow filter (Lens Effects Glow), the reflection glows as well. Raytracer Enable group Local Options group Enable Raytracing—Turns the raytracer on or off. Default=on.
1364 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Raytraced Reflection and Refraction Antialiaser group Controls in this group let you override the global antialiasing settings for raytraced maps and materials. They are unavailable if antialiasing is turned off globally. To turn on antialiasing globally, choose Rendering > Raytrace Globals to display the Global Raytracer Settings dialog (page 2–1369).
Raytrace Maps Rollout When you load old 3ds Max files or bring earlier materials from the Browser into the Materials Editor, the spinner values for Opacity, Specular Level, Glossiness, and Self-illumination are altered, where necessary, to maintain the equivalent material effect. Procedures To assign a map: 2. 3. Drag the assigned map button to another map button. The Copy (Instance) Map dialog (page 2–1295) is displayed. 4. Choose Copy or Instance, and then click OK.
1366 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To go to a map using the Navigator: • In the Material/Map Navigator (page 2–1291), click the name of the map, or the green or red parallelogram to the left of the map’s name. 5. The map appears on objects assigned the material in all shaded viewports. Now when you adjust the map, the viewports update to display the adjustments. The Navigator goes to the level of the map, and the Material Editor displays the controls for the map you clicked.
Raytrace Maps Rollout To change a map’s strength: • Adjust the map’s Amount spinner in the Maps rollout. The material’s sample slot reflects the change. If the new map type does not have components, it simply replaces the original map type. Interface Note: Adjusting a map’s output (in the map’s Output rollout) can also change the map’s strength. To move directly to an ancestor: 1. Click the arrow to the right of the map’s name (page 2–1292) field. A drop-down list of ancestors is displayed. 2.
1368 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Lock button—Locks the Environment map to the Transparency Environment map. When on, the Transparency Environment map controls are disabled, and a map applied to the Raytrace Environment applies to the Transparency Environment as well. When off, the Transparency Environment map controls are enabled, and the Transparency Environment can have a different map assigned to it. Default=on.
Raytracer Global Parameters Rollout friction near 1 is very difficult to create in the real world without adhesives or friction material. Sliding Friction—Sets how difficult it is for the object to keep moving over a surface. The higher this value, the more difficult for the object to keep moving. Default=0.0. these controls have no impact on the mental ray renderer, which has its own ray-tracing controls.
1370 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Maximum Depth—Sets the maximum recursion environment background, or is set locally in the depth. Increasing this value potentially increases the realism of your rendered scene, at a cost of rendering time. You can reduce this value to reduce rendering time. Range=0 to 100. Default=9. Raytracer Parameters rollout (page 2–1514).
Raytracer Global Parameters Rollout • Fast Adaptive Antialiaser—Clicking ... displays the Fast Adaptive Antialiaser dialog (page 2–1374). • Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser—Clicking ... displays the Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser dialog (page 2–1375). Global Raytrace Engine Options group These options are comparable to the local options on Extended Parameters rollout (page 2–1360) and the Raytracer Controls rollout (page 2–1362).
1372 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Raytracing Acceleration Parameters Dialog Rendering menu > Raytracer Settings > Render Scene dialog > Raytracer panel > Raytracer Global Parameters rollout > Global Raytrace Engine Options group > Acceleration Controls button The controls in this dialog let you override the default acceleration values and specify your own requirements.
Raytrace Exclude/Include Dialog Tip: Another good use for exclusion can be when Exclude/Include—Choose whether raytracing will you are working on a scene where the world-space scale of objects is not realistic. For example, consider an animation of a space dog-fight, with a planet and its moon in the background. You would use a planet that was actually much smaller, relative to the fighters, than an actual planet.
1374 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Fast Adaptive Antialiaser Rendering menu > Raytracer Settings > Global Raytracer Settings dialog > Global Ray Antialiaser group > Turn on global antialiasing. > Choose Fast Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. > ...
Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser Raytrace Antialiaser Dialog: Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser Interface Rendering menu > Raytracer Settings > Render Scene dialog > Raytracer panel > Raytracer Global Parameters rollout > Raytracer Global Parameters > Global Ray Antialiaser group > Turn on global antialiasing. > Choose Multiresolution Adaptive Antialiaser from the drop-down list. > ...
1376 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Blur Aspect—This is an aspect ratio that changes the shape of the blur. Usually you will not need to change it. Default=1.0. Tip: If you see aliasing that occurs mostly along horizontal lines, try increasing Blur Aspect to 1.5. This changes the shape of the blurred effect. The reverse is also true. If aliasing occurs mostly along vertical lines, try decreasing Blur Aspect to 0.5. Defocusing—Defocusing is a blur based on distance.
Templates Rollout Templates Rollout Material Editor > Architectural material > Templates rollout The Templates rollout gives you a list of material types to choose from. A template is simply a set of preset parameters for the Physical Qualities rollout, which approximates the kind of material you want to create, and gives you a starting point. Once you choose a template, you can adjust its settings and add maps (page 2–1426) to enhance realism and improve the material’s appearance.
1378 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps • Click to turn on Set Luminance From Light (below the Luminance setting), then in a viewport, click the light. After you choose the light, the button turns off once more. Tip: If you are using a radiosity solution (page 3–50), make sure to turn on Emit Energy (Based On Luminance) for any material whose luminance is greater than zero. This control is on the Advanced Lighting Override rollout (page 2–1381).
Physical Qualities Rollout Transparency—Controls how transparent the material is. This value is a percentage: at 100.0, the material is completely transparent; at lower values, the material is partly opaque; and at 0.0, the material is completely opaque. In the physical world, the IOR results from the relative speeds of light through the transparent material and the medium the eye or the camera is in. Typically this is related to the object’s density: the higher the IOR, the denser the object.
1380 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Special Effects Rollout Material Editor > Architectural material > Special Effects rollout When you create a new Architectural material (page 2–1376) or edit an existing one, the settings on the Special Effects rollout let you assign maps that create bumps or displacement, adjust light intensity, or control transparency. Displacement controls—These controls assign a displacement map (page 2–1352) to the material.
Advanced Lighting Override Rollout While a map is assigned to the material, its name appears as the map button’s label. Advanced Lighting Override Rollout Material Editor > Architectural material > Advanced Lighting Override rollout • Amount spinner—The spinner at the left sets the amount of intensity mapping to use. At 100.0, intensity mapping has its greatest effect; at lower amounts, the effect is less pronounced; at 0.0, the map has no effect; and at values less than 0.0, the material is dimmed.
1382 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Left: Excessive bleeding of the floor color onto the walls and ceiling. Right: Reducing the floor’s Reflectance Scale causes less bleeding. • You might want to increase Reflectance Scale when the scene includes a large dark area (for example, a black floor). This can lead to a very dark radiosity result. You can maintain the floor’s color but increase reflectance, giving the solution the colors you want while increasing its brightness.
Cutout Mapping increase luminance because the object really glows (for example a neon light tube), then you should turn on Emit Energy, so that the object contributes light to the scene. Tip: Don’t use this control to increase self-illumination. Use the material’s Luminance instead. The Luminance control is on the Physical Qualities rollout (page 2–1377). Color Bleed Scale—Increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=100.0.
1384 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. In the Browser, choose NONE as the map type, and then click OK. The map is removed. mental ray Materials The gray levels of a cutout map determine the amount of transparency. Procedure To use a cutout map: 1. Click the Cutout map button. The Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) is displayed. 2. Choose from the list of map types (page 2–1426), and then click OK. The Material is now at the map level, and displays map controls.
mental ray Material supported by 3ds Max might appear as blanks in the wiring menu. Material Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material) Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > mental ray > Material Shaders rollout mental ray Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > mental ray Note: The mental ray material does not appear in the Browser unless you have enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel.
1386 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps in rendering. When the toggle is off, the shader is not used, even if it has been assigned. Clicking the button to the right of the component name displays the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) so you can assign a particular shader to the component. Shader Library Transmat physics Transparency base Two Sided base UV Generator (page 2–1534) 3ds Max Basic Shaders group Surface—Shades the surface of objects that have this material.
Material Shaders Rollout (mental ray Material) The photon component can be assigned the following shaders: Shader Library Bump (page 2–1526) 3ds Max Shader Ocean lume DGS Material (page 2–1389) 3ds Max Shader List (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Dielectric Material Photon (page 2–1529) 3ds Max Displacement—Assigns a displacement shader Edge lume Glow lume Material to Shader (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Metal lume Photon Basic base SSS Physical Material subsurface scattering Translucency lume Tra
1388 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Shader Library Material to Shader (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Shader List (page 2–1533) 3ds Max the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) so you can assign a particular shader to the component. Contour—Assigns a contour shader (page 3–95) Optimization group Flag Material as Opaque—When on, indicates that the material is fully opaque.
DGS Material (mental ray) DGS Material (mental ray) Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > DGS Material (physics_phen) Note: The DGS material does not appear in the Browser unless you have enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel. In addition, you can’t assign shaders to the options in this rollout unless the mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer. DGS stands for Diffuse, Glossy, Specular.
1390 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Note: When the IOR equals 1.0, there is no Shader Library refraction, and calculating the transparency can take less time than when the material is refractive. Bump (page 2–1526) 3ds Max Shaders rollout Dielectric base The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to one of the basic parameters of the DGS material.
Glass Material (mental ray) Glass Material (mental ray) Interface Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Glass (physics_phen) Note: The Glass material does not appear in the Browser unless you have enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel. In addition, you can’t assign shaders to the options in this rollout unless the mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
1392 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Index Of Refraction (out)—Sets the IOR on the other side of a surface. When set to the default of zero, this control has no effect. See the section “Adjacent Refractive Materials,” above. Default=0.0. Persistence Distance—In conjunction with the Light Persistence color, controls the percentage of light that the volume transmits. It is the distance at which light transmission is reduced to the percentage specified by the Light Persistence RGB values.
Matte/Shadow Material Note: The SSS Physical Material can also be used as a shader for the Surface and Photon components of a mental ray material (page 2–1385). objects (page 3–1065) that reveal the current environment map (page 3–1028). See the tutorial Using the Fast SSS Skin Shader for a practical demonstration of using this particular SSS skin material.
1394 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Example: To see the effect of Affect Alpha and Matte Reflection: 1. Create a scene with one or more objects on a box platform, and one or more shadow-casting spotlights. Tip: If you use only one spotlight, increase its Multiplier value. 2. Assign a Matte/Shadow material to the box, and render the scene with default Matte/Shadow parameters (Opaque Alpha is on, and Affect Alpha is off). 3.
Matte/Shadow Material Interface and then renders its shadows. In this case, the shadows won’t be lightened by the fog. If you want to lighten the shadows, you need to turn up the shadow brightness. At Object Depth—This is the 3D method. The renderer first renders the shadows, and then fogs the scene. Since this varies the amount of fog over the 3D matte surface, the generated matte/alpha channels don’t blend perfectly into the background.
1396 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Setting shadow color is especially useful when you’re using a Matte/Shadow material to composite your shadows against a background image, such as video. It lets you tint your shadows to match pre-existing shadows in the image. Reflection group Controls in this group determine whether the matte surfaces can have reflections. You create matte reflections using a shadow map.
Blend Material and the other is rendered on the object’s bottom faces, depending on whether a face normal points up or down. Procedures Procedure 2. Click the Type button. To have the Browser list only materials: 3. In the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256), • At the top of the Show group, leave Materials on and turn off Maps. Note: This option is available only at the material level in the Material Editor.
1398 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To control the mix amount using a map: • In the Basic Parameters rollout, click the map button next to Mask. The Browser is displayed so you can select a map type. The intensity of pixels in this mixing map controls the mix. When the intensity is close to zero, one of the component colors or maps is visible; when it is close to full intensity, the other component is visible.
Composite Material Composite Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Composite Composite material composites (page 3–1016) up to 10 materials. The materials are superimposed from top to bottom, as listed in the rollout. Materials are combined using additive opacity (page 3–1000), subtractive opacity (page 3–1111), or mixed using an Amount value.
1400 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Double-Sided Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Double-Sided To choose the outer material: • Click the button labeled Facing Material. The parameters for the sub-material are displayed. By default, a sub-material is a Standard material with Blinn shading. To choose the inner material: 1. Go back to the parent material (parameters for the Double-Sided material). 2.
Morpher Material the inner material "bleeds through" and is visible on outer faces. Default=0.0. You can animate this parameter. Facing Material and Back Material—Click to display the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) and choose a material for one side or the other. Use the check boxes to turn the materials on or off.
1402 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 5. Open the Material Editor, and click Pick Material from Object (the eyedropper), then click the sphere in the viewports. The Material Editor displays the Morpher material parameters. 6. On the Morpher Material Parameters rollout, click the Map 1 slot. 7. On the Material/Map Browser choose Standard. 8. On the Basic Parameters rollout, click the Diffuse color swatch. 9. On the Color Selector, choose a bright yellow, and close the color selector.
Multi/Sub-Object Material Mixing Calculation Options group The system can slow down if there are many active materials being blended. Options in this group allow you to control when the morph result will be computed. Constantly—Choose to compute the material morph result all the time. When Rendering—Choose to compute the material morph result at render time. Never Calculate—Choose to bypass material Name Field—Displays the name of object to which blending. the Morpher material is applied.
1404 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps the fly. See Drag and Drop Sub-Object Material Assignment (page 2–1268). Procedures You can also create a new Multi/Sub-Object material by dragging to faces selected with the Edit Mesh modifier (page 1–613). 1. Activate a sample slot in the Material Editor. Sub-material IDs do not depend on the order of the list, and you can enter new ID values. To create a multi/sub-object material: 2. Click the Type button. 3.
Multi/Sub-Object Material 3. Click Sub-Object and choose Face as the sub-object category. 4. Select the faces to which you will assign a sub-material. 5. Apply a Material modifier (page 1–706), and set the material ID value to the number of the sub-material you want to assign. The viewport updates to show the sub-material assigned to the selected faces. The material ID values in the multi/sub-object material and the material ID numbers in the Select Face rollout correspond.
1406 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Below Top Level toggle on the Material Editor Options dialog (page 2–1280).) it to select this sub-material. You must select a sub-material before you delete it. Reducing the number of sub-materials removes sub-materials from the end of the list. You can undo Set Number when you have used it to delete materials. ID—Shows the ID number assigned to this Add—Click to add a new sub-material to the list.
Shellac Material Shellac Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Shellac Shellac material mixes two materials by superimposing one over the other. Colors in the superimposed material, called the "shellac" material, are added to colors in the base material. A Shellac Color Blend parameter controls the amount of color mixing.
1408 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface Top/Bottom Material Material Editor > Type button > Material/Map Browser > Top/Bottom Base Material—Goes to the level of the base sub-material. By default, the base material is a Standard material with Blinn shading. Shellac Material—Goes to the level of the shellac material. By default, the shellac material is a Standard material with Blinn shading. Shellac Color Blend—Controls the amount of color mixing. At 0.
Shell Material to discard the original material in the slot, or retain it as a sub-material. The Top/Bottom material controls let you choose the two materials, and also the transition between them. To choose the top or bottom material: • On the Top/Bottom Basic Parameters rollout, click the Top Material button or the Bottom Material button. The parameters for the sub-material appear. By default, a sub-material is a Standard material with Blinn shading.
1410 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps baked material is a bitmap that is saved to disk by Render To Texture. It is “baked,” or attached to an object in the scene. shadows from lighting, and other information. Also, a baked material has a fixed resolution. Viewport—Use these buttons to choose which The Shell material is a container for other materials, like Multi/Sub-Object. It also lets you control which material is used in which renderings.
Advanced Lighting Override Material Important: The mental ray renderer (page 3–77) does not support the Advanced Lighting Override material. Obtaining a Better Image Materials that use default settings can be highly reflective. This can lead to overexposed or washed-out radiosity solutions. In general, the best way to adjust this is to reduce the HSV Value (V) of a material color; or, for a bitmapped material, reduce the RGB Level.
1412 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Luminance scale takes self-illumination mapping (page 2–1343) into account. You can use this to model effects such as a computer monitor in a darkened room. Interface The Special Effects group of the Advanced Lighting Override material also has a control for adjusting the quality of bump mapping (page 2–1347) in areas of indirect lighting. Procedures To adjust a material’s reflectance and transmittance: 1. Create a material for your scene. 2.
Lightscape Material Color Bleed—Increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=1.0. zero, no bump mapping is done for indirect light. Increasing Indirect Light Bump Scale increases the bump effect under indirect lighting. This value does not affect the Bump amount in areas where the base material is lit directly. Cannot be less than zero. Default=1.0. Tip: This parameter is useful because indirect Color Bleed increases or decreases the saturation of reflected color.
1414 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface Exterior Scene—Used for exterior daylight simulations. Note: The default value is exactly the same as the values set in the Import Lightscape Solution dialog. Apply Changes to All Lightscape Materials—Determines whether or not the changes you make in this dialog are applied to every Lightscape Radiosity material. Default=off. Disable Radiosity—Determines whether or Radiosity Mapping group not the radiosity is calculated.
Ink ’n Paint Material Snake rendered with ink ’n paint Because Ink ’n Paint is a material, you can create a scene that combines 3D-shaded objects with flat-shaded cartoon objects. Left: The paint component only Right: The ink component only Tip: Ink ’n Paint uses the Raytracer Settings (page 2–1369), so adjusting raytrace acceleration can have an effect on the speed of Ink ’n Paint.
1416 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 1. Collect the objects for cartoon rendering into a single surface model such as an Editable Mesh. material ID values (page 3–1063) to portions of the model you want to 2. Assign different color differently. Typically, you would do this at the Element sub-object level, although you can certainly apply different material IDs to faces and polygons as well. 3. Create a multi/sub-object material (page 2–1403).
Ink ’n Paint Material Turning off this component makes the object invisible, except for the ink. Default=on. Left: A lighted character Right: Lighted and Highlight both turned off to render only the ink • Paint Levels—The number of shades of color that are rendered, from light to dark. Lower values make objects look flatter. Range=1 to 255. Default=2. Increasing the value of Shaded increases the saturation of the shaded area. You can also use Shaded to assign a distinct color for shading.
1418 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Increasing glossiness decreases the size of the highlight. Color component controls: These are the controls that are duplicated for each of the paint components. Each has an on/off toggle, a main control, and then on the right, a set of map controls. • Check box—The check box at the left of the rollout enables or disables that particular component.
Ink ’n Paint Material Except for Ink Width, each of the ink components has an on/off toggle and a color swatch. Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector (page 1–157) and change the ink component’s color. Each ink component, Ink Width included, also has a set of map controls. Ink—When on, the rendering is “inked.” When off, no ink lines appear. Default=on. Left: Rendering with ink Right: Ink turned off Ink Quality—Affects the shape of the brush and the number of samples it uses.
1420 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Width is on, the Max (maximum) spinner is also enabled, and the ink width can vary between the minimum and maximum values. Default: Min=2.0, Max=4.0. always remain between the Min and Max values, regardless of the lighting. Default=off. Outline—The ink where the outer edges of the object appear against the background or in front of a different object. Default=on.
Ink ’n Paint Material Underlap—Similar to Overlap, but applies ink to the farther surface rather than the nearer one. Default=off. • Underlap Bias—Use this to adjust artifacts that might appear in ink that traces the underlap. It says how far the underlap has to be behind the front surface for Underlap ink to turn on. Positive values push the object away from the point of view, negative values pull it closer. Default=0.0. SmGroup—The ink drawn between the boundaries of smoothing groups (page 3–1107).
1422 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The Overlap bias is probably too high. Decrease it. If Underlap is turned on, this might also have too high a bias. Another possible reason is that you have a self-intersecting object, or an object built by attaching smaller objects, thus creating intersecting faces. In this case, set up the objects to use the Mat ID or SmGroup ink components. If elements already have differing material IDs, try turning off Only Adjacent Faces.
LightMap Shader Rollout Shader-specific rollouts The rollouts that appear below the DirectX 9 Shader rollout and above the Software Rendering rollout are the interface to the shader you chose. These rollouts are specific to each shader. Software Rendering rollout DirectX Viewport Shaders LightMap Shader Rollout Material Editor > Viewport Manager rollout > Choose LightMap from the drop-down list. > LightMap Shader rollout appears.
1424 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Mapping Channel—Shows the map channel (page Interface 3–1060) this texture uses. Light Map group Button—Shows the name of the lighting map. Toggle—When on, shaded viewports display the lighting map. When off, it is not displayed. If both the Base Texture and Light Map toggles are off, the material appears black in viewports. Mapping Channel—Shows the map channel this texture uses.
XRef Material See the section “Map Controls,” below, for a description of the individual controls. Reflection Intensity—Adjusts the intensity of reflections in shaded viewports. Use Alpha—When on, displays the alpha channel. When off, does not. Default=off. Pick object and create—Click to choose an object and have the program generate the reflections used in the viewport. Mix Amount—Adjusts the mixing of the two texture maps in shaded viewports.
1426 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps source file. You can set the material properties only in the source file. When you change them in the source file and then save it, the material’s appearance can change in the target file that contains the XRef. Note: If an XRef object has a material applied to File Name controls Full path—When you have chosen a source file, this field displays the MAX scene’s full path name. You can edit this field.
Types of Maps from lights (see Advanced Effects Rollout (page 2–1185) ). Maps can simulate textures, applied designs, reflections, refractions, and other effects. Used with materials, maps add details without adding complexity to the geometry of an object. (Displacement mapping (page 2–1352) can add complexity.) Understanding Map Types Different types of maps create different effects and behave in particular ways.
1428 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps mapping coordinates. You can also use UVW Map to change an object’s default mapping. See Mapping Coordinates (page 2–1249). UVW Mapping Coordinate Channels Each object can have from 1 to 99 UVWmapping coordinate channels. The default mapping (from the Generate Mapping Coordinates toggle) is always UVW 1. The UVW Map modifier can send coordinates to any of these channels.
Real-World Mapping Real-World Mapping Real-world mapping is an alternative mapping paradigm in 3ds Max that is off by default. The idea behind real-world mapping is to simplify the correct scaling of texture-mapped materials applied to geometry in the scene. This feature lets you create a material and specify the actual width and height of a 2D texture map in the Material Editor. When you assign that material to an object in the scene, the texture map appears in the scene with correct scaling.
1430 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps • Importing AutoCAD Drawing • Importing DXF Files • Lathe Modifier • L-Ext Extended Primitive • L-Type Stair Output Rollout Material Editor > Select sample slot. > Get Material > Material/Map Browser > Turn on 2D Maps and 3D Maps. > Choose a map type (Bitmap, Cellular, Falloff, Gradient, Gradient Ramp, Mix, Noise, or Output). > Double-click a map type to apply it to sample slot.
Output Rollout Clamp—When on, this parameter limits the values of the colors to no greater than 1.0. Turn this on when you’re increasing the RGB Level, but don’t want the map to appear self-illuminated. Default=off. Note: If you set the RGB Offset to a value greater than 1.0 while Clamp is on, all colors become white.
1432 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps automatically constrained as they are when you manually move or scale a point. You can zoom into the graph to make detailed adjustments. As you zoom in, the graph updates to show decimal measurements along the left vertical axis. You can pan anywhere on the graph with the horizontal and vertical scroll bars, use a button option, or the middle mouse button. Points can be deleted, and you can reset the graph to its default at any time.
Missing Map Coordinates Dialog Zoom Vertically—Compresses or expands the view of the graph in a vertical direction. Zoom—Zooms in or out around the cursor. Zoom Region—Draws a rectangular region around any area of the graph, then zooms to that view. references bitmaps that can’t be found in their original location, or are at a location not specified via the Configure User Paths dialog (page 3–852). To open the MAX file, click the Browse button on the Missing Map Coordinates dialog.
1434 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2D 2D Maps 2D Maps are two-dimensional images that are typically mapped onto the surface of geometric objects, or used as environment maps to create a background for the scene. The simplest 2D maps are bitmaps; other kinds of 2D maps are generated procedurally. Bitmap (page 2–1441): An image saved as an array of pixels in one of a number of still-image file formats, such as .tga, .bmp, and so on, or an animation file such as .avi, .flc, or .ifl.
Coordinates Rollout (2D) As with tiling, you can mirror in the U dimension, the V dimension, or both. The Tiling parameter for each dimension specifies how many copies of the map are shown. Each copy is flipped relative to its neighbors. Decals Decals are useful for mapping single designs, small elements such as stickers, or light switches. A 2D map used as a decal appears only once and is not repeated as with tiling.
1436 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps • Tiling values less than one increase the size of the map relative to the object. For example, a value of 0.5 maps half of the bitmap. • Tiling is uniform if both the U and V dimensions are tiled by the same amount. To preview the effect of tiling: • In the Material Editor, use the Tiling flyout to choose a 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x tiling preview.
Coordinates Rollout (2D) in the 0.5-20 range. Lower values decrease antialiasing; higher values increase it. Mapping list—Options vary depending on choice The Blur Offset parameter adjusts the image before antialiasing Blur is applied. If all you need is antialiasing, leave Blur Offset at its default of 0.0. • Explicit Map Channel—Uses any map channel. When selected, the Map Channel field becomes active, and you can choose any channel from 1 to 99.
1438 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Back is turned on or not. To override this, turn off Tiling. When Use Real-World Scale is off Use Real-World Scale—When turned on, applies the map to objects using the real-world Width and Height values instead of UV values. Default=on. When Real-World Scale is on, the texture placement is relative to the corner of the texture map so alignment with architectural objects likes walls is more efficient.
Noise Rollout (2D) Offset (Width/Height)—Move the map horizontally or vertically along the width or height of the object to which the material is applied. The offset distance is relative to the lower-left corner of the map. the arcball used to rotate viewports, although dragging inside the circle rotates along all three axes, and dragging outside it rotates about the W axis only). The Angle UVW values change as you drag in the dialog.
1440 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps These controls appear on the Noise rollout for many 2D maps: On—Determines whether the Noise parameters affect the map. Amount—Sets the strength of the fractal function, expressed as a percentage. If the amount is 0 there is no noise. If the amount is 100 the map becomes pure noise. Default=1.0.
Bitmap 2D Map Bitmap 2D Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Bitmap that have different content but the same name. In this case, only the first map encountered will appear in the scene.
1442 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps See also For functionality shared with other 2D maps, see the following topics: Coordinates Rollout (2D) (page 2–1434) Noise Rollout (2D) (page 2–1439) Output Rollout (page 2–1430) Procedures To crop an image: 1. On the Bitmap Parameters rollout, click the Bitmap button and assign a bitmap. 2.
Bitmap 2D Map intermediate colors become partially transparent. Pyramidal—Requires less memory and is adequate for most purposes. To use a completely opaque bitmap: Summed Area—Requires much more memory, but • In Bitmap Parameters rollout > Alpha Source group, turn on None (opaque). None—Turns off filtering. The software ignores the bitmap’s alpha channel, if present, and does not create a new one. Interface Bitmap Parameters rollout yields generally superior results.
1444 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Placing a bitmap lets you scale the map and place it anywhere within its tile. Placing can change the bitmap’s scale, but shows the entire bitmap. The four values that specify the placement and size of the cropping or placement region are all animatable. Cropping and placement settings affect the bitmap only as it’s used for this map and any instances of the map. They have no effect on the bitmap file itself.
Select Bitmap Image File Dialog These controls let you change the start time and speed of FLIC (page 3–662) and AVI (page 3–658) files used as animated texture maps. They make it easier to use sequences of images as maps in scenes, because you can control the timing very precisely Start Frame—Specifies the frame where the playback of the animated map will begin. Playback Rate—Lets you speed up and slow down the rate that the animation is applied to the map (for example, 1.0 is normal speed, 2.
1446 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps This adds a map into the channel you’ve selected. For example, clicking in the Map column of the Diffuse channel creates a diffuse or texture map. The Material Map Browser is displayed. 3. In the Material/Map Browser, double-click Bitmap. The Select Bitmap Image dialog is displayed. 4. In the Select Bitmap Image dialog, navigate the Look in field to select the directory containing the sequence of files. 5.
Checker Map File Name—Displays the file name of the file selected in the list. Files of Type—Displays all the file types that can be displayed. This serves as a filter for the list. Open—Selects the highlighted file and closes the dialog. Cancel—Cancels the selection and closes the dialog. Devices—Lets you choose the hardware output device, for example, a digital video recorder. The device, its driver, and its 3ds Max plug-in must all be installed on your system to use the device.
1448 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps The Checker map applies a two-color checkerboard pattern to the material. The default checker map is a pattern of black and white squares. Checker maps are 2D procedural maps. The component checkers can be either colors or maps. To swap the two checker components: • In the Checker Parameters rollout, click Swap. Interface Tip: Turning on Noise for a Checker map can be an effective way to create irregular patterns with a natural appearance.
Combustion Map Only Combustion 2.1 and later formats are supported. Maps in the Combustion 1 format are not supported in 3ds Max. Important: The mental ray renderer (page 3–77) does not support the Combustion map. See also CWS (Combustion Workspace) Files (page 3–660) Noise Rollout (2D) (page 2–1439) About the 3ds Max and Combustion Integration You can use Combustion as a material map in 3ds Max.
1450 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps In addition, with Combustion effects that require you to pick a point, such as Lens Flare or Ripple, you can use either program, Combustion or 3ds Max, to pick the point. 3. In the Material Editor, click the map button for the Diffuse Color component. This button is on the material’s Basic Parameters rollout.
Combustion Map Paint operator in Combustion This launches Combustion, which displays the New Workspace dialog. 7. Set up the new project. The composite or Paint branch that you create in Combustion appears on the object in 3ds Max viewports, as well as in the sample slot for the material with the Combustion map. The workspace name and path are assigned to the material, and appear on the Project button in the material’s Combustion Parameters rollout.
1452 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Use To Display During Playback Display the mesh when you play back the animation. Color Click the color box to set the color of the mesh using a color picker. In Combustion, a mesh appears. This is an "unwrapped" projection of the 3D object. To paint directly on the 3D object: 1. Create a Combustion map. 2.
Combustion Map your animated material. For more information on animating objects in Combustion, refer to the Combustion User’s Guide. You can add Paint strokes in either program, but to modify them you must use Combustion. Note: Remember, Combustion tracks the time slider in 3ds Max, but 3ds Max does not track the Timeline indicator in Combustion. If the 3ds Max viewport does not appear to be updating as you paint in Combustion, you might be painting on a different frame than the one displayed in 3ds Max.
1454 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 3. In the Material/Map Browser, choose 5. Click the map’s Type button. Combustion, and click OK. A Combustion map is assigned to the Diffuse Color, and a black material map appears in the active sample slot. 4. In the Combustion Parameters rollout, click the Project bar. The Material/Map Browser appears. 6. In the Material/Map Browser, choose Combustion to change the type from Bitmap to a Combustion map. 7.
Combustion Map Object with painted bitmap To paint selected faces: Use a multi/sub-object material to control the location of your painting. Any sub-material can have a Combustion map, so you can use Combustion to affect only the selected faces. 1. In 3ds Max, select the object you want to paint. 2. In the Modify panel, apply an Edit Mesh modifier to the object. (Choose Edit Mesh from the Modifier drop-down list.) If you are working with an editable mesh object, or a patch or NURBS surface, skip step 2.
1456 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To create a displacement map: In 3ds Max, the Displace modifier (page 1–608) acts as a force field to push and reshape an object’s geometry. You can apply its variable force directly from the modifier gizmo, from a bitmap image, or from a Combustion workspace. The grayscale component of the image is used to generate the displacement.
Combustion Map 7. In the Material Editor, Combustion Parameters rollout, click Edit. This launches Combustion. In the New dialog, set the Type To Paint, and create a grayscale image to use as a displacement map. For more information, see the Combustion User’s Guide. 8. In 3ds Max, increase the Displacement strength in the modifier Parameters rollout. 4. The Material/Map Browser appears. Select Combustion and click OK.
1458 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface 2D Mapping Coordinates Like any 2D map in 3ds Max, mapping coordinates control how a Combustion map is positioned on objects. For geometric primitives, mapping coordinates are usually provided automatically. For some kinds of geometry, such as meshes (page 1–984), patches (page 1–980), and NURBS surfaces (page 1–1079), you must apply a UVW Map modifier (page 1–905) to provide mapping coordinates.
Combustion Map Operator—Switches control to Combustion, where you can select an operator. The results of the operator appear as the image in the Combustion map. The operator does not have to be the last operator in the pipe. mapping coordinates. When paint strokes are unconstrained on an object such as a box, they can jump to the other side of the map when you cross a map’s edge. This can give erratic results. To prevent this, enable Constrain To UV.
1460 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Time group These controls relate frames in the Combustion workspace to frames in the Combustion map. See the controls under "End Condition Group" for how to handle the map when it contains fewer frames than the 3ds Max scene. Start Frame—Determines which frame of the Combustion sequence is used as the first frame of the Combustion map in 3ds Max. Duration—Sets how many frames of the backward until the rendering sequence is completed.
Gradient Map from the bottom at 0.0 to the top at 1.0. For a radial gradient, the second color’s position ranges from the inside at 0.0 to the outside at 1.0. Interface Gradient-mapped material tiled and with noise Procedures To create a Gradient map: 1. Click a map button to assign a map. 2. Choose Gradient in the Material/Map Browser, and then click OK. To change a gradient color: 1. In the Gradient Parameters rollout, click a color swatch to display the Color Selector (page 1–157). 2.
1462 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps both of these, you can rotate the gradient using the angle parameter under Coordinates, which is animatable. discontinuity at the threshold transition and thus causes less potential aliasing. Low—Sets the low threshold. Noise group High—Sets the high threshold. Amount—When nonzero (ranges from 0 to 1), applies a noise effect. This perturbs the color interpolation parameter using a 3D noise function based on U, V, and Phase.
Gradient Ramp Map Output Rollout (page 2–1430) Interface Procedure To create a material with a Gradient Ramp map: 1. Open the Material Editor, and choose an unused sample slot. 2. Close the Basic Parameters rollout, and open the Maps rollout. 3. Click the Map button for Diffuse to display the Material/Map Browser. 4. In the Browser list, click Gradient Ramp. The map appears in the upper-left of the Browser window. Click OK. Gradient Ramp map is applied to the sample slot as the Browser closes. 5.
1464 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Right-click options for gradient bar—Right-click in the gradient bar to display a menu with these options: Reset—Returns gradient bar to defaults. Load Gradient—Loads an existing gradient (.dgr file) into the gradient bar. Save Gradient—Loads your current gradient bar as a .dgr file. • Mapped—Lets you assign a map to use as the gradient. Enables the Source Map controls for specifying the map and turning it on and off.
Flag Properties Dialog The Source Map controls are available only when Mapped is the chosen gradient type. Smooth is 0, no smoothing is applied. When Smooth is 1, the maximum amount of smoothing is applied. Noise group Amount—When nonzero, a random noise effect is applied to the gradient, based on the interaction of the gradient ramp colors (and maps, if present). The higher this value, the greater the effect. Range=0 to 1. Regular—Generates plain noise.
1466 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps similar to the corresponding ones in the Gradient Ramp map: Note: Gradients are ordered from left to right. The “next” flag is to the right of the current flag; the “previous” flag is to the left. Swirl Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Swirl Ease In—Weighted more toward the next flag than the current flag. Ease In Out—Weighted more toward the current flag than the next flag.
Swirl Map Swirl map is applied to the sample slot as the Material/Map broswer closes. 5. In the Material Editor, under its toolbar, give the material a name to identify its use in your scene. Interface Swirl Amount are very high. Range=0 to 4.0; Default=0.4. Swirl Intensity—Controls the intensity of the swirl color. Higher values create a more vibrant mix of colors. At 0, the swirl effect disappears. Range=-10 to 10.0; Default=2.0.
1468 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Tiles Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button.> Material/Map Browser > Tiles Procedures Example: To create a brick wall: 1. Create a wall using a Box primitive, or use an existing surface in one of your scenes. 2. Open the Material Editor (page 2–1253). Select an unused sample slot. 3. Click the Maps rollout to open it. Click the Map button for Diffuse to display the Material/Map Browser. 4.
Tiles Map 2. On the Modify panel, choose Editable Mesh. 3. Turn on Sub-Object > Face. 4. Select the top face of the wall. 5. Open the Material Editor. Drag the wall’s tile material to an unused sample slot to duplicate the material. 6. Under Tiles Setup, adjust the horizontal and Fine Running vertical count of the new material to match the side of the wall. 7. Apply the new tile material to the selected faces on the top of the wall. 8.
1470 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Tiles Setup group Texture—Controls the display of the current texture map for the tiles. When on, the texture is used as the tile pattern instead of the color swatch. When turned off, the color of the tiles is displayed; clicking the color swatch displays the Color Selector (page 1–157). Stack Advanced Controls rollout None—Acts as a target where you drag and drop maps for the tiles.
Tiles Map by default to the vertical gap, so that both values change as you edit one or the other. To unlock them, click the lock icon. Row Modify—When on, creates a custom pattern for rows, based on the values of Per Row and Change. Default=off. Vertical Gap—Controls the vertical size of the grout between the tiles. This value is locked by default to the horizontal gap, so that both values change as you edit one or the other. To unlock them, click the lock icon.
1472 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 3D Perlin Marble (page 2–1487): An alternative, procedural marble map with a turbulence pattern. Planet (page 2–1488): Simulates the contours of a 3D Maps 3D maps are patterns generated procedurally in three dimensions. For example, Marble has a grain that goes through the assigned geometry. If you cut away part of an object with marble assigned as its texture, the grain in the cutaway portion matches the grain on the object’s exterior.
Cellular Map Interface Angle—Rotates the map pattern along the specified axis. Blur—Affects the sharpness or blurriness of the map based on its distance from the view. The farther away the map is, the greater the blurring. The Blur value blurs maps in world space. Blur is primarily used to avoid aliasing (page 3–1001). Source—Chooses the coordinate system to use. There are four options: • Object XYZ—Uses the object’s local coordinate system. • World XYZ—Uses the scene’s world coordinate system.
1474 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps See also First: 112, 119, 64 For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see the following topics: Second: 143, 137, 112 Coordinates Rollout (3D) (page 2–1472) Circular Output Rollout (page 2–1430) Size: 7.9 Procedures Example: To create confetti: 1. Assign the Cellular map as a Diffuse map. 2.
Cellular Map Mid: 0.76 Interface High: 1.0 3. Assign a Mix map as the Bump map. 4. Click Material/Map Navigator to display the Navigator. Copy the Cellular Diffuse map by dragging it from the Navigator to the Color #2 map window of the Mix map. 5. A dialog is displayed. You are asked if this should be an instance or a copy. Select Copy and click OK. 6. Assign a Noise map to the Color #1 map window of the Mix map. 7. Set the Noise parameters as follows: Noise Type: Fractal Levels: 6.0 Size: 9.3 8.
1476 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Color swatches—Display the Color Selector for Roughness—When you use the Cellular map as a choosing a cell division color. bump map (page 2–1347), this parameter controls These controls change the shape and size of the cells. how rough the bumps are. When Roughness is zero, each iteration is half the strength of the previous iteration, and half the size.
Dent Map Dent Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Dent Dent bump maps At left, default parameters produce fairly uniform dents over surface. At right, increased Strength parameter creates a deeper and more irregular pitting effect. Dent diffuse maps At left, Dent as a two-color diffuse map. Dent map gives texture to the cup on the left; cup on the right has same pattern, but without dents. Dent is a 3D procedural map.
1478 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To replace a color: 1. Click a color swatch labeled Color #1 or Color #2. 2. In the standard Color Selector (page 1–157), choose a replacement color. The color updates in the color box and sample slot. Size=10, 500, and 1000 Iterations=1, Strength=20 (default) To swap a color: • Click Swap. The position of the two colors is reversed in the color boxes and sample slot. To replace a color with a map: 1.
Dent Map Dent can create patterns in an object’s color as well as its surface. By using Dent as a diffuse color map, the entire surface is affected. Strength=5, 20 (default), and 100 Size=1000, Iterations=3 Each set of three spheres uses the same strength range, but varies the size. Iterations are held constant in both sets. Iterations—Sets the number of calculations used to create the dents. Default=2. Dent is based on a fractal-noise equation.
1480 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Size=100, 500, and 1000 Size=500, Strength=60, Iterations=2 Strength=20, Iterations=2 Left sphere: Applies Dent as a diffuse map. Color #1 is black; Color #2 is red. Color #1, #2=black, white (defaults) Middle sphere: Replaces black with Dent map (all defaults). Right sphere: Replaces red with Marble map (all defaults). Falloff Map Strength=20, 50, and 100 Size=500, Iterations=2 Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button.
Falloff Map as an opacity map (page 2–1344). However, you can also use Falloff for special effects, such as an iridescent look. set of controls, and the name on the right to the bottom set. Note: When old files that use Falloff maps are • Use the spinners to adjust the relative strength of the colors. brought into 3ds Max, the old Falloff interface is displayed, replacing the new Falloff interface.
1482 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Viewing Direction (Camera Z-Axis)—Sets the falloff Near Distance—Sets the distance at which the blend direction relative to the camera (or screen). Changing object orientation doesn’t affect the falloff map. (Default.) effect begins. Camera X/Y Axis—Similar to Camera Z-Axis. For example, using Camera X-Axis with the Toward/Away falloff type runs the gradient from left (Toward) to right (Away).
Marble Map Add Point flyout Adds a Bezier corner point anywhere on the graph line. The point makes a sharp angle when moved. Adds a Bezier smooth point anywhere on the graph line. Handles attached to the point create smooth curves when moved. On a Bezier smooth point, you can move the point or either handle. Delete Point—Removes selected points. Reset Curves—Returns graph to its default, a straight line between 0 and 1. Marble Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button.
1484 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface The Noise map creates random perturbation of a surface based on the interaction of two colors or materials. See also For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see the following topics: Size—Sets the spacing between the veins. Coordinates Rollout (3D) (page 2–1472) Vein Width—Sets the width of the veins. Output Rollout (page 2–1430) Swap—Switches the position of the two colors or maps.
Particle Age Map Levels—Determines how much fractal energy is used for the Fractal and Turbulence noise functions. You can set the exact amount of turbulence you want, and also animate the number of fractal levels. Default=3.0. Phase—Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. Use this option to animate the noise function. Default=0.0. Noise Type— • Regular—(The default.) Generates plain noise. Basically the same as fractal noise with the Levels setting at 1.
1486 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Dynamic operator (page 2–187). It alters the color (or map) of a particle based on the particle’s life. The particles in a system begin as one color. At a specified age, they begin changing (by interpolation) to a second color, and then they change again to a third color before they die out. Color #2—Sets the color of a particle in mid-life. Tip: This map works well with the Particle MBlur Color #3—Sets the color of a particle at its death.
Perlin Marble Map best results, it should be assigned as an opacity map • The particle system must support the Particle MBlur map. Particle systems that support Particle MBlur include PArray, PCloud, Super Spray, and Spray. • In the particle system’s Particle Rotation rollout, in the Spin Axis Controls group, the Direction of Travel/MBlur option must be on. particle is blurry and transparent, no matter how slow it is traveling. The default works well in many cases. Default=2.0.
1488 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface Planet Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Planet Size—Sets the size of the marble pattern. Change this to change the scale of marble, relative to the object’s geometry. Default=50. Levels—Sets the number of times the turbulence algorithm is applied. Can range from 1.0 to 10.0. The higher the value, the more complicated the marble pattern. Default=8.0.
Smoke Map Interface Land Colors group The colors in these five swatches are applied to the land areas of the planet surface. Their arrangement continues that of the water colors. Land colors—Click a swatch to display the Color Selector (page 1–157) and change the color. Color #4 is the shoreline of the land, meeting the water; Color #5 comes next, working toward the center of the land mass. Color # 8 is at the center of the land mass.
1490 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps See also For functionality shared with other 3D maps, see the following topic: • Click a map button to assign a map instead of a solid color. Turn on the check box to activate the map. Coordinates Rollout (3D) (page 2–1472) Speckle Map Interface Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Speckle Size—Changes the scale of the smoke "clumps." Default=40.
Splat Map Size—Adjusts the size of the speckles. Use this to make the speckles match your geometry. Default=60. Coordinates Rollout (3D) (page 2–1472) Interface Swap—Exchanges the two color components. Color #1—Represents the color of the speckles. Color #2—Represents the color of the background. Click one of the swatches to display the Color Selector (page 1–157) and change one of these component colors. Maps—Click a button to assign a map that replaces one of the color components.
1492 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Stucco Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Stucco Thickness, the more the borders are blurred and the less distinct the indentations are. When you use Stucco as a bump map, the indentations are very faint at 0.5 and disappear at values not much greater. Default=0.15. Threshold—Determines how much of Color #1 is mixed with Color #2. At 0, only Color #2 is displayed; at 1, only Color #1 is displayed.
Waves Map Waves Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Waves randomly computed points along the surface of an imaginary sphere inside the object (a circle, in the case of 2D wave distribution). For calm water, set this to a low number. Use a high number for choppy water. Range= 1 to 50; Default=10.
1494 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Wood Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Wood Wood used as a bump map Procedures To replace a color: 1. Click a color swatch labeled Color #1 or Color #2. 2. In the standard Color Selector (page 1–157), choose a replacement color. The color updates in the color box and sample slot.
Wood Map Tiling—Controls grain complexity or "distortion." By increasing this parameter along a given axis, the grain becomes increasingly compressed and wavy along that axis. Default=1.0 (X, Y, and Z axes). Box A shows the default on all three axes. Boxes B and C show progressively higher Tile settings for the X axis. Increasing Tile on other axes produces similar effects. Rotated Grain: By rotating the direction of the grain around an axis, you change the rendered effect.
1496 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Axial Noise—Sets the relative randomness of the pattern on a plane parallel with the grain, along the length of the grain (cylinder A). Default=1.0. Defaults: Grain Thickness=7, Radial Noise=1.0, Axial Noise=1.0 Grain Thickness—Sets the relative thickness of the color bands that make up the grain. Default=7. Noise settings let you set the randomness or "irregularity" of the grain pattern in two directions.
Compositor Maps The choice of colors, along with grain pattern, is the primary way to represent different types of wood. In fairly uniform woods like yellow pine or redwood, the two colors are often near the same settings (examples B and C). Lighting also makes a difference in the apparent colors.
1498 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Composite Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Composite The Browser is displayed. 2. Choose a map type. To change the number of maps to composite: 1. In the Composite Parameters rollout, click Set Number. 2. In the subdialog, choose the number of maps you want, and then click OK. Warning: If you reduce the number of maps, previously assigned maps can be lost.
Mask Map Mask Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Mask Mask map applies labels to the fire extinguisher. With the Mask map, you can view one material through another on the surface. The mask controls where a second map is applied to the surface. By default, lighter (whiter) areas of the mask are opaque, showing the map. Darker (blacker) areas of the mask are transparent, showing the underlying material. You can use Invert Mask to reverse the mask’s effect.
1500 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 2. Adjust the color. To use a map as a component: 1. In the Mix Parameters rollout, click a map button next to one of the two color swatches. The Material/Map Browser is displayed. To control the mix amount using the mix curve: 1. In the Mixing Curve group, turn on Use Curve. 2. Change the shape of the curve by adjusting the Transition Zone values. Interface 2. Select a map type.
RGB Multiply Map Mixing Curve group The RGB Multiply map is typically used for bump maps (page 2–1347), where you might want to combine two maps to achieve the correct result. This map combines two maps by multiplying their RGB values. For each pixel, the red of one map is multiplied times the red of the second map, the blue times the blue, and the green times the green. These parameters control how gradual or how sharp the transition between the two colors being mixed will be.
1502 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Multiply Alphas—Generates a new alpha channel by multiplying the alpha channels of the two maps. Map—Displays a modal version of the Material/Map Browser so you can choose the map type. The check box turns the map on or off. Color Modifier Color Modifier maps alter the color of pixels in a material.
RGB Tint Map RGB Tint Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > RGB Tint To replace one color with another: 1. Click the R, G, or B color swatch. 2. On the Color Selector, increase or decrease Hue to change the color. Interface RGB Tint map RGB Tint adjusts the value of the three color channels in an image. Three color swatches represent these channels. Changing a color swatch adjusts the value of its associated color channel.
1504 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps can assign vertex colors using the VertexPaint Modifier (page 1–918), the Assign Vertex Colors utility (page 2–1544), or the vertex controls for an editable mesh (page 1–992), editable patch (page 1–959), or editable poly (page 1–1026). While vertex color assignment is primarily used for special applications, such as game engines or radiosity renderers, you can also use it to create colorful, gradient surface effects.
Reflection and Refraction Maps Sub Channel—Lets you can specify that the map will use either the Red, Green, or Blue sub-channel of the specified map channel, or all sub-channels. Channel Name—After assigning the material with Flat Mirror Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button.
1506 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps • If you assign Flat Mirror to multiple faces, the faces must lie in a plane. 4. Select a single face or multiple faces that lie in a • Non-coplanar faces in the same object cannot have the same Flat Mirror material. 5. Assign the faces the material ID you chose for In other words, if you want two different planes of an object to have flat reflections, you must use a multi/sub-object material.
Flat Mirror Map Interface Every Nth Frame—The renderer creates the automatic flat mirror based on the frame rate (page 3–1038) set by the spinner. Use Environment Map—When off, environment maps are ignored by the mirror during rendering. It’s useful to turn this off when you have mirrors in the scene and you’re rotoscoping against a flat screen environment map. A screen environment map does not exist in 3D space the way the other environment-map types do, and will not render properly. Default=on.
1508 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps A flat mirror surface that has a Bump map will appear bumpy, but its reflection won’t be distorted by the bumps unless you use this option. Use Built-In Noise—Distorts the reflection using the settings in the Noise group. Distortion Amount—Adjusts the amount of distortion to the reflected image. This is the only value that affects the amount of distortion.
Reflect/Refract Map although these are the main ways to use this map. • Raytrace map has more extensive attenuation controls than Raytrace material. Reflect/Refract Map Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Reflect/Refract • Raytrace map often renders more quickly than Raytrace material. Raytrace Map and Raytrace material have the same name because they use the same raytracer and share global parameters.
1510 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps the illusion that the surrounding maps are seen through the surface. Note: Reflect/Refract is meant to be used with curved or irregularly shaped objects. For mirror-like flat surfaces that you want to reflect the environment accurately, use Flat Mirror (page 2–1505) material. For more accurate refractions, especially for an object in a refractive medium (such as a pencil in a glass of water), use Thin Wall Refraction material (page 2–1513).
Reflect/Refract Map folder and file name of the Up (_UP) bitmaps. Click Pick Object and Render Maps, and then click the object to map. The software creates the files and also assigns them to the six From File map buttons. Rendering cubic maps has the same effect as automatic with the advantage that map rendering doesn’t have to take place at scene rendering time. The disadvantage is that you can’t create an automatically animated reflections or refractions this way.
1512 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps From File—When on, you can specify the bitmaps to use. When From File is active, the controls in the Render Cubic Map Files group are also available. You can generate the six cubic reflection maps automatically and save them to files, where you can load them with the From Files controls. Size—Sets the size of the Reflect/Refract maps. The default value of 100 produces distinct images. Lower values lose progressively more detail.
Thin Wall Refraction Map You can edit one or more of the cubic maps using a paint program, then click Reload to update the material and the scene. the Basic Parameters rollout, set Opacity to a value greater than 0. Procedure Render Cubic Map Files group To assign the Thin Wall Refraction map to a material: To File—Choose a file name for the Up map (_UP). 1. Click the Map button for Refraction in the Pick Object and Render Maps—Active when you choose a file.
1514 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Render group These controls affect how the refraction should behave in animations. First Frame Only—Tells the renderer to create the refracted image only on the first frame. This is the fastest option. You can use it if the camera and refractive object don’t move. Every Nth Frame—Tells the renderer to regenerate the refracted image based on the frame rate (page 3–1038) set by the spinner. no bump map assigned, this value has no effect. Default=1.0.
Raytracer Parameters Rollout Local Options group Enable Raytracing—Turns the raytracer on or off. Default=on. Even with raytracing off, Raytrace material and Raytrace map still reflect and refract the environment, including both the environment map for the scene, and the environment map assigned to the Raytrace material. Raytrace Atmospherics—Turns the raytracing of atmospheric effects on or off. Atmospheric effects include fire, fog, volume light, and so on. Default=on.
1516 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps basis, or provide an environment to specified objects when the scene as a whole has none. When you change settings for an antialiaser locally, you don’t affect the global settings for that antialiaser. Raytraced Reflection and Refraction Antialiaser group Controls in this group let you override the global antialiasing settings for raytraced maps and materials. They are unavailable if antialiasing is turned off globally.
Raytrace: Basic Material Extensions Rollout • Inverse Square—Sets inverse square attenuation. Inverse square attenuation is calculated beginning at the start range, and doesn’t use the end range. Inverse square is the actual attenuation rate for light in the real world. However, it doesn’t always give the effect you want in a rendered scene. • Exponential—Sets exponential attenuation. Exponential attenuation is calculated between the start and end range values. You also specify the exponent to use.
1518 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Reflectivity/Opacity—These controls affect the intensity of the raytracer’s results. • Spinner—Controls the amount of raytracing used by the material it is assigned to. Analogous to the Output Amount parameter in the Output rollout of the Bitmap map type (page 2–1441). • Map button—Assigns a map that controls the amount of raytracing. You can vary the amount of raytracing used over the surface of the object. • Check box—Enables or disables the map.
Raytrace: Refractive Material Extensions Rollout Interface Fog—Density fog is also a thickness-based effect. It fills the object with a fog that is both opaque and self illuminated. The effect is like smoke trapped in a glass, or wax at the tip of a candle. Colored fog in tubular objects can resemble neon tubes. • Enable—Turns fog on or off. • Color swatch—Displays a Color Selector (page 1–157) for choosing the fog color. • Amount—Controls the amount of density fog.
1520 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps mental ray Shaders In mental ray, a shader is a function that calculates light effects. There can be shaders for lights, cameras (lens shaders), materials, shadows, and so on. Note: In 3D modeling, the more common use of “shader” is an algorithm that specifies how a surface responds to light. (The shaders for standard 3ds Max fall into this category.) With the mental ray renderer, “shader” has a more general sense of any algorithm used in rendering.
Custom Shaders for 3ds Max • Custom Shaders for 3ds Max (page 2–1521) links to descriptions of the shaders provided in the product-specific library, 3dsmax.mi. • mental images Shader Libraries (page 2–1522) links to descriptions of the shaders provided in the three standard mental ray libraries from mental images: base.mi, contour.mi, and physics.mi. • Shaders in the LumeTools Collection (page 2–1523) links to descriptions of shaders in the lume library, lume.mi.
1522 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Shader Library Curvature contour Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button. > Material/Map Browser > Pick a mental ray shader other than a custom 3ds Max shader or a lume shader. Depth Fade contour DGS Material Photon physics Note: Shaders do not appear in the Browser unless you have enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel.
Shaders in the LumeTools Collection Shader Library • Mist Width From Color contour • Night • Ocean Width From Light contour • Stain • Submerge Width From Light Dir contour • Translucency • Water Surface Note: You can also access the mental images shader help by choosing Help > Additional Help, highlighting Mental Ray Standard Library in the list, and then clicking Display Help. Shaders in the LumeTools Collection Material Editor > Maps rollout > Click a Map button.
1524 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps encounter multiple return values in shaders provided with other shader libraries or custom shader code. The components for some mental ray materials and shaders can be assigned other shaders. For these components, the main shader button is accompanied on the right by a small button. If no shader is assigned, or the shader assigned has only a single return value, the button is disabled and shows a dot in the middle.
3D Displacement Shader (mental ray) Global settings for the mental ray displacement method are in the Displacement group on the Shadows And Displacement rollout (page 3–111) of the Render Scene dialog’s Renderer panel. See also mental ray Displacement (page 3–95) mental ray Connection Rollout (page 2–1305) mental ray Material (page 2–1385) Interface Scaling the displacement based on object size is the standard behavior for regular 3ds Max displacement mapping.
1526 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Shaders rollout The controls on this rollout let you assign a map or shader to the Factor or Direction Strength parameters. Click the button for a component to display the Material/Map Browser (page 2–1256) and assign the map or shader. Use the toggle at the left to turn the effect of the map off or on. The button to the right of each main shader button is for shaders that can return multiple parameters.
DGS Material Shader (mental ray) Clicking the button displays a Connect Parameter To Shader dialog (page 2–1523), which lets you change which parameter is being used. Interface Parameters rollout Important: UV Coordinate (page 2–1538) and XYZ Coordinate (page 2–1541) are the only shaders with multiple return values provided with 3ds Max. You might encounter multiple return values in shaders provided with other shader libraries or custom shader code.
1528 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Transparency—Specifies the transparency. The effective range of Transparency is from 0.0 to 1.0. At 0.0 the material is fully opaque. At 1.0 it is fully transparent. Default=0.0. Warning: You can set the value of Transparency to be greater than 1.0, but this has no effect.
Dielectric Material Shader (mental ray) Shader Library Bump (page 2–1526) 3ds Max DGS Material (this shader) 3ds Max Dielectric base Dielectric Material (page 2–1529) 3ds Max Edge lume Facade lume Glass lume Glow lume Landscape lume Material to Shader (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Metal lume Ocean lume Opacity base Reflect base Refract base Shader List (page 2–1533) 3ds Max Stain lume Translucency lume Transmat physics Transparency base Two Sided base UV Generator (page
1530 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps are modeling two adjacent refractive materials. Consider a drink in a martini glass. The glass has an index of refraction (IOR) of 1.5, while the alcohol in the glass has an IOR of about 1.3. To create a physically accurate model of this situation, use three glass materials: one for the glass itself, one for the alcohol, and a third material for the surfaces where they touch each other. For this third material, set the “inside” IOR to 1.
Environment Shader (mental ray) Phong Coefficient—When greater than zero, generates Phong highlights on the surface. The highlights appear in the sample slot. In general this value must be greater than 10 for highlights to be apparent. Default=0.0. Environment Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > mental ray Connection rollout > Assign a shader to the Environment component. > Material/Map Browser > Environment (3dsmax) Material Editor > mental ray material > Assign a shader to the Environment component.
1532 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps encounter multiple return values in shaders provided with other shader libraries or custom shader code. Height Map Displacement Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > mental ray Connection rollout > For the Displacement component, turn off the lock button. > Click the button for the Displacement component. > Material/Map Browser > Height Map Displacement (3dsmax) Material Editor > mental ray material > Click the button for the Displacement component.
Material to Shader (mental ray) Options dialog (page 3–160) when creating the height map. Default=10.0. Height Map—The height map itself (usually a bitmap). If you need to further adjust the material, you can repeat these steps (without having to reassign the Material To Shader). Interface Material to Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > mental ray Connection rollout > Assign a shader.
1534 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps List of shaders—Shows the names of the shaders in the list. Highlight a shader’s name to alter its position in the list, or to access its parameters. UV Generator Each active shader in the list is called in order, from top to bottom. UV Generator Shader (mental ray) Up—Moves the selected shader up in the list. Down—Moves the selected shader down in the list.
UV Generator Parameters Rollout UV Generator Parameters Rollout Interface Material Editor > Any shader with a Coords parameter (or other vector value). > Click the shader button. > Material/Map Browser > UV Generator (3dsmax) > UV Generator (3dsmax) Parameters rollout Material Editor > mental ray Connection rollout > Unlock the Surface component and click the shader button.
1536 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps the map is applied as a texture map, this value is ignored. Default=4 (screen). of the object. When off, planar mapping doesn’t render on the object’s back. Default=on. • 1 is for Spherical. This toggle is available only when Tiling is off in both dimensions. Its effect is visible only when you render the scene. • 2 is for Cylindrical. • 3 is for Shrink-Wrap. • 4 is for Screen. Screen projection projects as a flat backdrop in the scene.
Shaders Rollout (UV Generator) the map so that it is perpendicular to the surface. Default=0 (UV). amount, the greater the effect of increasing the Level value. Range=1 to 10. Default=1. • 0 is for UV. • 1 is for VW. Phase—Controls the speed of the animation of the noise function. Default=0.0. • 2 is for WU. RealWorldMapSize—Controls the scaling Clip—When on, UVs are clipped. When off, UVs are wrapped. Default=on.
1538 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface UV Coordinate Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > Any shader with a Coords parameter or other vector value. > Click the shader button. > Material/Map Browser > UV Coordinate (3dsmax) Note: Shaders do not appear in the Browser unless you have enabled the mental ray extensions by using the mental ray Preferences panel. In addition, shaders don’t appear unless the mental ray renderer is the currently active renderer.
XYZ Generator Shader (mental ray) XYZ Generator XYZ Generator Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > Any shader with a Coords parameter (or other vector value). > Click the shader button. > Material/Map Browser > XYZ Generator (3dsmax) Material Editor > mental ray Connection rollout > Unlock the Surface component and click the shader button. > Material/Map Browser > XYZ Generator (3dsmax) Material Editor > DGS material > Assign a shader to any component.
1540 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps MapChannel—When Explicit Map Channel is the coordinate system source, this value lets you set the map channel; otherwise, it is ignored. Range=1 to 99. Default=1. Offset—Moves the map pattern in X, Y, and Z. Default=(0.0, 0.0, 0.0). Tiling—Tiles (page 3–1116) the map pattern in X, Y, and Z, and makes the pattern narrower. Default=(1.0, 1.0, 1.0). Angle—Rotates the map pattern in X, Y, and Z. Default=(0.0, 0.0, 0.0).
XYZ Coordinate Shader (mental ray) Important: UV Coordinates (page 2–1538) and XYZ Coordinates (page 2–1541) are the only shaders with multiple return values provided with 3ds Max. You might encounter multiple return values in shaders provided with other shader libraries or custom shader code. XYZ Coordinate Shader (mental ray) Material Editor > Any shader with a Coords parameter or other vector value. > Click the shader button.
1542 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Use the toggle to enable or disable use of the map (default=on). Use the spinner to increase or decrease the map’s effect. Channel Direction group By default, the Normals map’s red channel indicates left versus right, while green indicates up versus down (and blue indicates vertical distance). The controls in this group let you adjust that interpretation. increasing in a positive direction toward the viewer.
Camera Map Per Pixel component. Make sure the Z option is turned on. Interface 6. Use a third-party image-editing application to make changes you want to the editable image. 7. Apply Camera Map Per Pixel to the diffuse component (page 2–1339) of the geometry on which you want the matte to appear. Set Camera to the same camera you used for the renderings. Set Texture to the matte image you edited. Set ZBuffer Mask to the Z-depth rendering (the RPF or RLA file).
1544 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Use the toggle to turn use of the ZBuffer Mask on or off. By default, it is off, and it is not turned on automatically when you assign the ZBuffer Mask. • ZFudge—ZFudge values other than 1.0 add a margin of deviation to the use of the Z-depth data, letting you fine-tune the Z-Buffer masking. Default=1.0. Mask—Behaves like the mask in the Mask map (page 2–1499): it lets you view one map through another.
Assign Vertex Colors Utility See also 2. Apply a mapped material to the sphere, and VertexPaint Modifier (page 1–918) turn on Show Map In Viewports. Vertex Color Map (page 2–1503) The mapped sphere is displayed in the viewport. Procedures To use the Assign Vertex Colors utility: 1. Assign materials to the objects you want to affect. These can be mapped or unmapped materials. 2. Light the objects. 3. Select the objects you want to affect. 4.
1546 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps of Material 2 when rendering, and 100 percent of Material 1 when updating the vertex colors.
Assign Vertex Colors Utility Channel group Here you’ll find tools to choose which channel type the vertex color utility will assign. If you choose map channel, you can also specify the map channel ID number. • Lighting + Diffuse—Uses the current scene lighting and materials to affect the vertex colors. • Lighting Only—Uses only lighting to assign vertex colors, ignoring material properties. When this option is chosen, Shadows and Mapping are disabled in the Rendering Options rollout.
1548 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Rendering Options group The options in this group let you choose whether to include shadows, texture maps, or a radiosity solution in vertex colors. Note: You can save a radiosity solution in vertex colors, but not Light Tracer (page 3–43) illumination, which is not stored in the scene’s geometry. • Radiosity, Reuse Direct Illum. from Solution—Includes radiosity in the vertex color assignments, and uses the direct illumination from the solution.
Channel Info Utility modifier and adds it to the stack of the selected objects. Edit—Click to display the VertexPaint Paintbox (page 1–924), the floating dialog that holds the Skin Utilities (page 2–678) Select By Channel Modifier (page 1–775) UVW Mapping Add Modifier (page 1–916) vertex painting tools. UVW Mapping Clear Modifier (page 1–916) This button is unavailable if you haven’t yet clicked Assign To Selected.
1550 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps 6. To minimize a channel’s memory footprint, click the channel and then click the Clear button. This removes most all or of the data from the channel, so first make sure the data is unnecessary or is available elsewhere. If the cleared channel is the last one in the list, it might be deleted from the list. Interface You can copy and paste only between channels with the same topology, or you can copy from any channel to a channel with no vertices.
Channel Info Utility Note: When you use the Clear function, the software adds a UVW Mapping Clear modifier to the object’s modifier stack. You can recover the deleted data by removing the modifier from the stack, or changing its Map Channel setting. Add—Appends a new map channel to the object’s channel list. If multiple objects are selected, Add becomes available only after you click a track, so the software knows which object to add the channel to.
1552 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps with the same topology by copying and pasting this channel. the channel and choose Name from the right-click menu. You can apply vertex alpha information to objects with the VertexPaint modifier (page 1–918), and to editable surfaces with the Vertex Properties settings (editable poly (page 1–1034)) and Surface Properties (editable mesh (page 1–996) and editable patch (page 1–964)).
Clean MultiMaterial Utility choose to remove any unused sub-materials, thus consolidating your Multi/Sub-Object materials. This utility searches an entire scene. You do not need to select objects or materials. All unused sub-materials are deleted and the dialog closes. To clean specific Multi/Sub-Object materials: 1. Open a scene. When you create a Multi/Sub-Object material, you might create extra sub-materials in anticipation of objects that haven’t been added to the scene yet.
1554 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps Interface 4. Click OK. All unused sub-materials are deleted from the indicated materials and the dialog closes. The Clean dialog presents you with a list of all Multi/Sub-Object materials in the scene that contain unassigned sub-materials. You can then select materials from which to remove unassigned sub-materials. The dialog consists of two parts: a status field at the top and a list of Multi/Sub-Object materials.
Instance Duplicate Maps Utility name to turn it off and prevent the utility from cleaning it. Clean—Deletes unused sub-materials from Multi/Sub-Object materials that are turned on. Cancel—Cancels the operation. Instance Duplicate Maps Utility Material Editor > Utilities menu > Instance Duplicate Map Utilities panel > More button > Instance Duplicate Maps > Click Find All button.
1556 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps To instance only specific maps: Perhaps you only want to instance a few of the texture maps found in specific materials. Note: You have to select at least two maps from the Duplicates list 1. Open a scene. 2. On the Material Editor, open the Utilities menu and choose Instance Duplicate Map. The Instance Duplicate Maps dialog opens. 4. From the Duplicate list, select at least two map entries. 3.
Instance Duplicate Maps Utility globally, so you do not need to select objects or materials in order to use it. The dialog consists of three parts: a status field at the top, a drop menu containing duplicated texture maps and a list of map names and the materials that belong to. Status Field The Status Field is not interactive. It shows you prompts and warnings about the duplicate textures and maps.
1558 Chapter 16: Material Editor, Materials, and Maps in the Duplicates list, showing the map name and the name of the parent material. The number after “Duplicates” indicates how many copies were found in the scene. Textures in this list can be chosen individually. Only duplicates chosen in this list will be consolidated into the final instance if you click the Instance button. The name of the resulting instance is that of the first chosen duplicate in the list.
index Index Symbols & Numerics 1-rail sweep surface 1–1205 2 3 4 links 2–963, 2–1001 2 feet down 2–841, 2–849 2.
1560 Index active 2–987 active link (glossary) 3–997 active time segment 2–282 active time segment (glossary) 3–998 active viewport 1–22 active/inactive footsteps 3–998 ActiveShade 3–17 commands (quad menu) 3–21 floater 3–20 glossary 3–998 keyboard shortcuts 3–913 quick render 3–17 viewport 3–20 actual stride height 2–844, 2–847 actual stride length 2–844, 2–847, 2–849 actual stride width 2–844, 2–847, 2–849 adapt locks 2–729, 2–833, 3–999 adaptation 3–999 adapting keyframes to edits 2–729 keys to footste
Index foliage 1–209 railing 1–212 wall 1–218 affect region 1–538 soft selection rollout (EMesh) 1–945 soft selection rollout (NURBS) 1–1148 affine transformation (glossary) 3–1000 after trajectory 2–799 age test 2–207 AI import dialog 3–525 airborne option 2–841, 2–847, 2–849 airborne periods 2–736, 3–1000 aliasing/antialiasing alias against background 3–863 and supersampling 2–1302 fast adaptive 2–1374 filters 1–547, 3–37 glossary 3–1001 multiresolution adaptive 2–1375 align 1–447 align geometry dialog (e
1562 Index layers 3–1004 loading 3–479 mapping 3–483 to 3–484, 3–486 methods 2–271 NURBS 1–1092 preferences settings 3–868 previewing animations after attaching Physique 2–935 sample animations in this release 2–774 saving 3–481 selecting and moving tracks 2–743 show ghosting 1–46 tips (NURBS) 1–1101 toggle animation mode 2–274 utilities 2–630 with radiosity 3–59 animation controls 3–759 animation menu 3–729 constraints 2–355, 2–375 to 2–376, 2–379 to 2–380, 2–384, 2–388, 2–391 create bones 1–381 dummy 2–
Index create 1–104 disassemble 1–107 explode 1–107 open 1–106 using 1–97 assembly commands 1–104 assembly heads helper objects 1–108 assembly menu assemble 1–104 attach 1–108 detach 1–108 disassemble 1–107 explode 1–107 asset browser 3–505 internet download dialog 3–516 preferences 3–515 using 1–17 asset tracking dialog 3–492 icons 3–499 open from vault 3–401 asset tracking dialog 2–774, 3–492 asset tracking dialog icons 3–499 asset tracking prompts 3–499 assign controller (Track View) 2–523 controller rol
1564 Index Autodesk VIZ files 3–526 autogrid 3–1007 AutoGrid 2–7 automatic auto archive 3–870 auto backup 1–19, 3–870 auto secondary (lens effects) 3–234 auto termination (IK) 2–481 automatic exposure control 3–291 secondary flare parameters 3–372 unit conversion 3–859 automatic mapping rollout rendering to texture 3–158 autoplay preview file 3–859 AVI files 3–163, 3–658 avoidance behavior 2–1016, 2–1063, 3–1007 preventing collisions 2–1092 awning window 1–251 axis constraints 1–428 to 1–431, 3–735 and hi
Index before trajectory 2–799 behavior assignments and teams dialog 2–1052 behavior rollout 2–1062 behaviors 2–1011, 3–1009 avoid 2–1063, 3–1007 fabric 1–561 obstacle-avoidance 2–1016, 3–1077 orientation 2–1066, 3–1079 patch-based 3–1085 path follow 2–1068, 3–1086 repel 2–1070, 3–1097 scripted 2–1072, 3–1102 seek 2–1072, 3–1102 space warp 2–1073, 3–1107 speed vary 2–1074, 3–1109 surface arrive 2–1075, 3–1112 surface follow 2–1078, 3–1113 wall repel 2–1079, 3–1127 wall seek 2–1081, 3–1127 wander 2–1083, 3–1
1566 Index posing a biped 2–780 rotating objects 2–749 scaling after physique is applied 2–950 visible in playback 2–799 bipeds dialog 2–620 birth event 3–1010 birth operator 2–139 birth script operator 2–141 bitmap map 2–1441 bitmap pager 3–865 bitmap pager statistics dialog 3–515 bitmap/photometric path editor 3–511, 3–517 bitmaps choosing 2–1445 display 3–884, 3–888 glossary 3–1011 Material Editor 2–1441, 2–1445 path configuration 3–504, 3–855 path editor 3–511 blend blend curve (NURBS) 1–1159 blend el
Index standard primitive 1–166 box caustics filter 3–104 box method 2–1094 box selected render bounding box/selected dialog 3–16 branching events (particle flow) 2–119 break spline at selected vertex 1–292 vertices 1–992 breathe option (links) 2–943, 2–987 bricks 2–1468 bridge dialog 1–1068 bridge edges dialog 1–1070 brightness and contrast effect 3–261 browse 2–922 browser material/map 2–1256 browsing from 3ds Max 3–505 brush options 1–801 brush preset manager 3–739 brush presets 3–737 BSP method 3–125 BS
1568 Index roll camera 3–790 roll light 3–796 save sequence 3–320 scale keys 2–536, 2–556 scale values 2–557 select and link 2–404 select and manipulate 2–26 select and move 1–419 select and rotate 1–420 select and uniform scale 1–421 select by material 2–1283 select by name 1–77 select object 1–77 selection center 1–427 selection lock 3–754 sets of modifiers 3–815 show curves 3–752 show end result 2–1290 snapshot 1–438 spacing tool 1–440 spinner snap 2–37 squash 1–422 transform coordinate center 1–427 tr
Index candela 3–1059 canopy mode 1–209 cap holes modifier 1–550 cap surface 1–1196 capsule 1–190 capture viewport 1–35 cartoon shading 2–1414 casement window 1–252 category, hiding and unhiding objects by 1–72 caustics 3–91, 3–104 caustics (mental ray) 3–80 caustics and global illumination rollout 3–104 CCB files 1–933 cellular map 2–1473 center 1–416 center of mass 2–691, 2–788, 3–1014 object 2–704 selecting tracks 2–746 shadow 2–704 shifting balance with 2–734 tracks in Track View 2–800 chains (kinematic
1570 Index circle 1–268 circular falloff graph 3–250 circular arrays 1–474 circulating materials 2–1276 clean multimaterial utility 2–1552 clear UVW mapping 1–916 clip ratio 2–591 replace 2–611 timing 2–591 transition 2–900 clip controllers 2–1030, 3–1015 clip frame numbers motion mixer 2–591 clip mode 2–878 clip properties dialog 2–878, 2–897, 2–910 clipping planes 2–1218, 2–1224, 3–1015 clips 2–897 combining 2–878 create 2–878 looping with motion-capture filtering 2–912 menu 2–609 move 2–878 path 2–893
Index temperature (light color) 2–1130 color clipboard files 1–933 color clipboard utility 1–159 color coding 2–800 color controls 2–1327 color modifier maps 2–1502 color palette vertexpaint modifier 1–933 color RGB controller 2–311 color selector 1–157, 3–859 colors 2–733 biped keys in Track View 2–733 footsteps 2–727 in Track View 2–799 vertex type 2–941 colors panel (customize UI) 3–843 COM 2–788 COM/DCOM server control utility 3–835 combining animations 2–878 combining motions motion mixer 2–581 combin
1572 Index user paths 3–852 utilities button sets 3–822 viewports 3–896 configure paths 3–852 configure preset dialog 3–32 configure system paths 3–854 configure user paths 3–852 bitmaps 3–855 file i/o path configuration 3–856 FX files 3–855 plug-ins path configuration 3–857 using 3–183 configure userpaths bitmaps 3–183 conform compound object 1–319 space warp 2–99 connect to child link 2–998 to parent link 2–998 connect compound object 1–323 connect edges dialog 1–1072 connect parameter to shader dialog
Index time duration 2–484 transform script 2–364 types of 2–284, 2–523 understanding 2–285 viewing types 2–285 waveform 2–366 working with 2–284 controlling colors 2–294 display performance 1–28 flipping on path 2–380 IK precision 2–444 object display 1–51 position 2–293 rotation 2–294 time 2–281 transforms 2–293 viewport rendering 1–27 controls camera viewport 3–788 light viewport 3–792 perspective and orthographic 3–781 special 1–12 viewport 3–778 conversion modifier turn to mesh 1–860 turn to patch 1–86
1574 Index create character 2–683 create key dialog 2–280 create material preview dialog 2–1296 create menu 1–342, 3–723 AEC objects 1–209, 1–212, 1–218, 1–227, 1–230, 1–234, 1–238, 1–246 to 1–247, 1–251 to 1–256 cameras 2–1210, 2–1215 to 2–1216 compound objects 1–313, 1–323, 1–326, 1–331, 1–333, 1–347 extended primitives 1–181 lights 2–1126 NURBS 1–1103, 1–1105, 1–1108, 1–1112 particles 2–233 patch grids 1–980 to 1–981, 1–983 photometric lights 2–1156 to 2–1162 shapes 1–257, 1–265, 1–267 to 1–269, 1–271
Index point surface 1–1103 point surface sub-object 1–1182 primitives from the keyboard 1–164 ruled surface 1–1194 shapes 1–257 skin 2–928 sub-objects 1–1179 surface edge curve 1–1178 surface offset curve 1–1169 surface sub-objects 1–1179 surface-surface intersection curve 1–1167 tendons 2–948 transform curve 1–1159 transform surface 1–1183 U loft surface 1–1197 UV loft surface 1–1202 vector projected curve 1–1172 creation method rollout 1–349 creation parameters 2–703 glossary 3–1019 cross fade compositor
1576 Index curves curve approximation 1–1240 curve fit 1–1158 curve point 1–1222 curve-curve intersection point 1–1225 curve-curve point 1–1225 freeze non-selected 2–564 function 2–695, 2–857 curves menu Track View 2–510 curves toolbar 2–513 custom attributes 1–124 custom grid 2–19 custom splash screen 1–17 custom UI and defaults switcher 3–833 custom UI scheme 3–848 customize keyboard shortcut 2–1276 toolbar 2–1276 transitions 2–885 customize menu 3–731 configure system paths 3–854 configure user paths 3
Index define append 2–900 inser below 2–900 insert above 2–900 script 2–900 defining search terms (HTML help viewer) 3–968 time tags 3–757 deflector space warp 2–86 deflector space warps deflector 2–86 PDynaFlect 2–77 POmniFlect 2–74 SDeflector 2–83 SDynaFlect 2–81 SOmniFlect 2–80 UDeflector 2–85 UDynaFlect 2–82 UOmniFlect 2–81 deform deform bevel 1–361 deform fit 1–362 deform scale 1–359 deform teeter 1–360 deform twist 1–359 deformable envelopes 2–692, 2–936, 2–942, 2–960, 2–963, 2–981, 3–1021 deformatio
1578 Index detach dialog (NURBS curve/surface) 1–1230 editable mesh vertices 1–992 editable patches 1–971 patch surface 1–950 DGS material (mental ray) 2–1389 dgs material shader (mental ray) 2–1527 diagnostics mental ray renderer 3–120 dialog asset tracking 3–492 bevel polygons 1–1068 bitmap pager statistics 3–515 chamfer 1–1071 connect edges 1–1072 extrude polygons 1–1073 flatten mapping 1–889 MAXScript debugger 3–826 mixer transition editor 2–615 normal mapping 1–890 pelt map parameters 1–891 pick node
Index display menu curve editor 2–504 particle view 2–125 display panel 3–818 display color rollout 1–52 display properties rollout 1–55 freeze rollout 1–54 hide by category rollout 1–52 hide rollout 1–53 link display rollout 1–58 object display 1–51 display rollout 1–781 display subtree 2–981 display trajectories;trajectories,displaying 2–809 displaying links 2–403 selected key statistics (Track View) 2–571 selected keys 2–571 distance distance from origin (accuracy setting) 3–859 measuring 2–13, 2–15 dis
1580 Index enable toggle 2–561 glossary 3–1025 ease options key info rollout 2–809 transition editor 2–902 ease out-of-range types (Track View) 2–562 edge visibility threshold 1–997 edges aligning 1–997 and rendering 3–863 attaching 1–997 chamfer 1–997 creating shapes from 1–997 cut and slice 1–997 deleting 1–997 divide 1–1010 dividing 1–997 extruding 1–997 make planar 1–997 rotating 1–997 welding 1–997 edit alpha compositor 3–355 biped 2–889 button appearance 3–847 clip 2–900 contrast filter 3–350 cross
Index edge 1–642 extrude edges dialog 1–1074 extrude polygons along spline dialog 1–1072 extrude polygons dialog 1–1073 extrude vertices dialog 1–1074 hinge from edge dialog 1–1075 inset polygons dialog 1–1075 keyboard shortcuts 3–917 meshsmooth selection dialog 1–1076 object 1–630 paint deformation rollout 1–1065 polygon/element 1–658 preserve map channels dialog 1–1076 relax dialog 1–1077 tessellate selection dialog 1–1078 vertex 1–633 weld dialog 1–1078 weld edges dialog 1–1078 weld vertices dialog 1–10
1582 Index modifier stack 1–489 named selection sets 1–67 point sub-objects 1–1124, 1–1220 strokes 3–907 surface cv sub-objects 1–1132 surface sub-objects 1–1142 time (Track View) 2–542 time tags 3–758 wall objects 1–223 editing track sets 2–567 editor cognitive controller 2–1057 effects 3–213 auto secondary lens effects 3–234 blur lens effects 3–256 brightness and contrast lens effects 3–261 color balance lens effects 3–261 depth of field lens effects 3–265 effects (rendering menu) 3–214 effects panel 3–
Index event display 2–127, 2–129, 3–1029 event level 3–1030 glossary 3–1029 inputs 3–1051 local 3–1057 notating 2–202 properties 2–130 events (Video Post) 3–321 every step update script (particle flow) 2–135 exclude exclude left end point (Track View) 2–547 exclude right end point (Track View) 2–548 exclude/include lights 2–1137, 2–1179 exclude envelopes dialog 2–977 exclude left end point (Track View) 2–547 exclude option 2–938, 2–977 exclude right end point (Track View) 2–548 excluding layers 3–444 exclu
1584 Index L-Ext 1–193 L-Extrusion 1–193 oil tank 1–189 prism 1–200 ringwave 1–197 spindle 1–191 torus knot 1–184 extended shapes angle 1–281 channel 1–280 tee 1–282 wide flange 1–283 wrectangle 1–279 extended splines 1–261 extents scene extents 3–1101 zoom extents (particle view) 2–125 extents (glossary) 3–1030 external event 3–335, 3–348 external reference 3–1131 external reference, AutoCAD (glossary) 3–1130 extraction tolerance 2–922 extras dope sheet toolbar Track View 2–519 extras toolbar 3–736 extru
Index figure mode 2–692, 2–791, 2–835, 2–837, 3–1032 figure structure 2–922 file corruption 3–977 file formats 2–774, 2–1117 file i/o path configuration 3–856 file link 3–997 advanced settings 3–438 basic settings 3–436 basics 3–426 excluding layers 3–444 file link settings dialog 3–435, 3–441 including layers 3–444 manager utility 3–431 presets 3–436, 3–438 tips for using 3–428 working with drawing files 3–425 xref resolution 3–445 file menu 3–398, 3–721 archive 3–500 exit 3–504 export 3–491 export select
1586 Index fire environment effect 3–272 first vertex 1–292, 3–1035 fit 2–981, 2–998 fit (deformation) 1–362 fit to existing 2–922 fix ambient utility 3–513 fix panel 2–871 fixed transition editor 2–902 fixed width text button 3–859 fixed window 1–253 fixing errors 2–695, 2–864, 2–871 fixing motion errors 2–874 fixing problems 3–977 flag properties dialog (Material Editor) 2–1465 flag with black 3–863 flare 3–366 automatic secondary flare parameters 3–372 flare preferences 3–369 glow parameters 3–371 infe
Index footsteps 2–852 activating 2–723 airborne period 2–741 appending 2–720 bending path 2–726 convert to 2–852 creating 2–720 creating automatically 2–720 creating multiple 2–720 deleting 2–726 display 2–711 editing in time 2–727 editing placement 2–726 footstep mode dialog 2–853 freeform period between 2–741 moving and rotating 2–726 saving 2–740 selecting in Dope Sheet mode 2–727 selecting in viewports 2–726 timing 2–727 timing gait parameters 2–719 footsteps method 3–1037 force operator (particle flow
1588 Index geometric primitives 3–1042 geometric/deformable space warps bomb 2–101 conform 2–99 FFD(box) 2–87 FFD(cyl) 2–91 ripple 2–98 wave 2–96 geometry AutoCAD 3–447 AutoCADArchitectural Desktop 3–449 compound objects 1–308 doors 1–241 effect on cloth 1–558 extended primitives 1–181 file formats 3–524 geometric primitives 1–163 highlight lens effects 3–389 importing 3–525 loft object 1–347 standard primitives 1–165 types of 1–151 windows 1–248 geometry parameters rollout 2–1035 geometry rollout 2–1092
Index grid method, raytrace acceleration 3–1094 grids 2–33, 3–1045 activating 2–34 align to view 2–34 aligning to 1–989, 1–992, 1–997 and resolution of patch model surface 1–955, 1–959, 1–967, 1–971, 1–977 grid and snap settings 2–38 grid helper object 2–19 show home grid 2–33 using 2–4 to 2–5 viewing 2–6 ground plane (and collision detection) 2–749 group script 2–900 group menu 1–101, 1–107, 3–722 attach 1–104 close 1–102 detach 1–103 explode 1–103 group 1–102 open 1–102 ungroup 1–103 groups 1–95 and asse
1590 Index hide 1–53, 2–1001, 3–1045 hide attached nodes 2–960 hide by category 1–52 hide reference geometry 1–763 hide/show all 2–799 hiding and unhiding 1–53 by category 1–52, 1–72 by selection 1–71 edges 1–967 editable spline vertices 1–292 hide rollout 1–53 hierarchical linkage 3–1045 hierarchical subdivision surfaces 1–693 hierarchies hierarchical linkage (glossary) 3–1045 joint limits 2–403 navigating 2–407 terminology 2–398 using multiple 2–400 viewing 2–407 hierarchy of biped objects (Track View)
Index import table to 3ds Max 3–568 log files 3–566 overview 3–565 temporary files 3–567 ignore animation range 2–526 ignore backfacing 1–984, 1–1001, 1–1010 IK and control objects 2–417 and set key 2–276 animating with interactive IK 2–462 IK joints 2–418 IK solution (glossary) 3–1049 overlapping chains 2–427 preferences 3–865 IK blend 2–809, 3–1048 IK constraints 2–758, 2–760 IK limb solver 2–421, 2–454 IK object 2–809 ik only option 2–827 IK rollouts 2–473 auto termination 2–481 display options 2–439 IK
1592 Index input devices for motion capture 2–632 inputs (particle flow) 3–1051 insert 2–992, 2–998 actions, events (particle view) 2–129 bulge angle 2–965, 2–992 cross section slice 2–965 ctrl pts 2–965 insert animation 2–685 insert character 2–686 insert tracks dialog 3–471 time (Track View) 2–546 tracks 3–471 vertices 1–290, 1–303 insert keys 2–535 inset polygons dialog 1–1075 inside 2–987 installing 3ds Max (for network rendering) 3–180 instance duplicate maps utility 2–1555 instanced modifiers 1–496
Index setting parameters 2–465 sliding 2–465 sliding and rotational 2–478 surface 2–465 using default joint precedence 2–450 JPEG files (glossary) 3–670 JSR-184 editing parameters 3–572 export/import files 3–570, 3–572 log files 3–576 m3g player 3–576 texture parameters 3–572 JSR-184 player 3–576 jump 2–791, 2–841 jumping dynamics of 2–736 parameters 2–719 K Kaydara FiLMBOX 3–559, 3–562 KBD files 3–837, 3–848 keep apart operator 2–168 key filters 2–567, 3–761 key info Bezier controllers 2–305 key info rol
1594 Index layer properties dialog 3–711 layer track 2–583 layers 1–111 to 1–112, 2–827, 3–704, 3–1055 AutoCAD and 3ds Max 3–444 excluding in file linking 3–444 from AutoCAD 3–430 from Revit 3–430 glossary 3–1055 including in file linking 3–444 layer event 3–345 layer list button 3–715 layer manager 3–706 layer properties dialog 3–711 select dialog 3–444 layers toolbar 3–735 add selection to current layer 3–716 create new layer 3–716 select objects in current layer 3–716 set current layer to selection’s l
Index mental ray shadow maps 2–1205 name and color rollout 2–1127 omni 2–1148 orbit/pan 3–798 photometric lights 2–1155 placing 1–7 positioning 2–1136 properties of 2–1130 roll 3–796 standard 2–1142 target area 2–1161 target direct 2–1145 target linear 2–1159 target point 2–1157 target spotlight 2–1143 truck 3–797 types of 2–1126, 2–1155 using 2–1128 viewport controls 3–794, 3–796 working with 2–1128 lights name and color rollout 2–1127 Lightscape 3–583 creating geometry for export 3–578 creating materials
1596 Index link settings rollout 2–987 link sub-object level joint intersections rollout 2–991 link settings rollout 2–987 linkage, hierarchical 3–1045 linked file states 3–431 linked objects assigning materials to 3–452, 3–461 conversion settings 3–435, 3–441 selecting when file linking 3–446 linked XForm modifier 1–703 linking and unlinking objects 2–403 animatable parameters 2–393, 2–395 bones to follow objects 2–442 end effectors to parent 2–442 strategy 2–400 linking files 3–431 links 3–1057 adding a
Index skin parameters rollout 1–353 surface parameters rollout 1–349 lofting glossary 3–1058 shapes 1–257 log file 3–121, 3–1058 log files IGES 3–566 logarithmic exposure control 3–293 LogLUV format (TIFF files) 3–299 look at controller 2–329 look at object (particle flow) 3–1058 look-at constraint 2–388 loop 1–798 looping 2–912, 2–922 animation 2–528 animation (Track View) 2–547 to 2–548 loop event (Video Post) 3–337, 3–349 low res environment background 3–874 low-polygon modeling 1–1254 lower bound 2–998
1598 Index refraction 2–1350 self-illumination 2–1343 shininess 2–1342 shininess strength 2–1342 specular color 2–1341 specular level 2–1342 unfold 1–902 mapping biped motion 2–776 maps 2–1472, 3–121, 3–504 2D 2–1434 3D 2–1472 activate all 1–50 camera map per pixel 2–1542 cellular 2–1473 checker 2–1447 color modifier 2–1502 combustion 2–1448 composite 2–1498 compositor maps 2–1497 custom 3ds Max mental ray shaders 2–1521, 2–1524, 2–1526 to 2–1527, 2–1529, 2–1531 to 2–1534, 2–1538 to 2–1539, 2–1541 cutout
Index options dialog 2–1280 shortcuts 3–946 tools 2–1271 type button 2–1293 material effects channel flyout 2–1288 Material Editor 2–1287 material ID and attaching objects 1–1009 and Booleans 1–333 and editable meshes 1–1001 and editable patches 1–971 and editable splines 1–303 and particles 2–186 changing (particle flow) 2–187 glossary 3–1063 material IDs rollout Lightscape import 3–614 material operators dynamic 2–187 frequency 2–185 static 2–183 material propagation 2–1276 material shaders rollout menta
1600 Index using maps to enhance 2–1247 matte object (glossary) 3–1065 matte parameters rollout 3–137 matte texture element rollout 3–137 matte/shadow material 2–1393 max clips 2–626 MAX file finder utility 3–511 MAX files and Autodesk VIZ 3–526 max object add to motion mixer 2–583 max objects to mix dialog 2–619 maximum angular/positional deviation for a track 2–922 MAXScript 2–116 about MAXScript 1–xx and particle flow 2–204, 2–225 command-line 3–826 glossary 3–1066 listener 3–824 MAXScript listener 3–8
Index create 3–723 customize 3–731 edit 3–721 file 3–721 graph editors 3–730 group 3–722 help 3–732 material editor copy and paste 2–1262 MAXScript 3–732, 3–823 menu bar 3–720 menus panel (customize UI) 3–842 modifiers 3–726 particle view 2–122 reactor 3–729 rendering 3–731 Schematic View 3–692 tools 3–722 views 3–722 merge 3–469 animation (file menu) 3–471 custom sections 1–849 effects 3–216 insert tracks command 3–471 merge dialogs 2–1297 to 2–1298, 3–416, 3–469 scenes 1–16 shapes 1–849 merge from file s
1602 Index mixer transition editor dialog 2–613, 2–615 MNM file 3–1067 MNM files 2–774, 2–912, 2–916, 2–1117 MNU files 3–839, 3–842, 3–848 mobile gaming editing JSR-184 parameters 3–572 exporting JSR-184 files 3–570 MOC files 2–916, 2–922 modal (glossary) 3–1067 mode motion flow 2–878, 2–894 modeless (glossary) 3–1067 modeling objects 1–5, 1–833 modes 2–791, 2–835, 2–840 in place 2–785 mixer 2–629 rubber band 2–734 talent figure 2–912 Track View 2–501 modes menu curve editor and dope sheet 2–501 modifier
Index skew 1–780 skin 1–781 skin morph 1–802 skin wrap 1–809 skin wrap patch 1–815 slice 1–815 smooth 1–818 spherify 1–819 spline IK control modifier 1–820 spline select 1–822 squeeze 1–823 STL check 1–825 stretch 1–826 substitute 1–830 surface 1–833 surface mapper (world space) 1–536 SurfDeform 1–537, 1–838 sweep 1–839, 1–848 to 1–849 symmetry 1–851 taper 1–853 tessellate 1–854 topology dependent 3–1117 trim/extend 1–856 turbosmooth 1–857 turn to mesh 1–860 turn to patch 1–862 turn to poly 1–863 turn-to m
1604 Index samples 2–774 motion flow 2–695, 3–1070 and BIP files 2–779 BIP file location 2–774 clip properties dialog 2–897 compare with motion mixer 2–581 editor file 2–896 graph 2–878, 2–880, 2–896 to 2–897 mode 2–791, 2–878, 2–882, 2–894, 2–896, 2–900 optimize transition 2–909 random motion 2–887 random motion flow 2–890, 2–907 rollout 2–896 script 2–878, 2–900 shared 2–907 shared motion flow 2–890, 2–907 transition 2–880 unified motion 2–889 workflow 2–894 motion flow editor 3–1070 append 2–883 files
Index multicurve trim surface 1–1216 multiple instanced objects 2–117 multiple links 2–753 selecting and rotating 2–753 multiplicity (glossary) 3–1071 multiplier (glossary) 3–1071 multiplier curve applying 2–560 deleting 2–561 enable toggle 2–561 glossary 3–1072 multiplier out-of-range types (Track View) 2–563 MultiRes modifier 1–731 multiresolution adaptive antialiaser 2–1375 multisided blend surface 1–1215 multithreading and rendering 3–864 MVBlocks 3–465 N N blend surface 1–1215 n links 2–963, 2–1001 N
1606 Index next/previous key;finding, next/previous key 2–809 NGon 1–272 no blending 2–963, 2–1001 no footsteps 2–922 no key reduction 2–922 node (glossary) 3–1073 node track (glossary) 3–1073 noise and terrain effects 1–736 noise controller 2–337 noise map 2–1484 noise modifier 1–735 noise rollout (2D) 2–1439 noise threshold 2–1460, 2–1462, 2–1484, 3–278, 3–284 non-biped object 2–615, 2–618 non-vertical jambs 1–205 nonrelational NURBS surfaces 1–1118 nonscaling object size 3–874 normal bump map 2–1541 no
Index sub-object selection 1–1086 working with 1–1081 NURBS surfaces 1–1102 and IGES 3–565 creating from geometric primitives 1–1117 display line parameters 1–1120 glossary 3–1075 making rigid imported surfaces independent 3–565 surface approximation 1–1241 NURMS 1–714, 1–992 O OBJ exporting 3–637 obj files (wavefront) 3–637 object bounding box 2–963 object color dialog 1–155 object data flow 1–480 object display 1–51 object display culling 1–59 keyboard shortcuts 3–949 object fragmentation (particle flow
1608 Index open from vault 3–401 open physique file 2–958 open physique file button 2–949 open recent 3–402 OpenEXR files format 3–671 opening 3–675 saving 3–672 OpenGL driver 3–881, 3–884 opening screen 1–17 operands 1–333, 3–1079 operator icon 3–1079 operators 2–138 birth 2–139 birth script 2–141 delete 2–142 display 2–198 empty flow 2–205 force 2–200 glossary 3–1079 keep apart 2–168 mapping 2–191 material dynamic 2–187 material frequency 2–185 material static 2–183 notes 2–202 operator time frames 2–13
Index P pack UVs dialog 1–891 paint (vertexpaint modifier) 1–918 paint deformation rollout 1–1065 brush options 1–801 paint selection region 1–82 paint weights 1–801 paintbox vertexpaint modfier 1–924 painter options 1–801 PAL 3–863, 3–1082 palette vertexpaint modifier 1–933 paletted 3–863 pan panning views 1–29 particle view 2–125, 2–131 Track View 2–571 viewport controls 3–786 pan view 3–786 panels create 3–800 customize UI 3–837 to 3–839, 3–842 to 3–843 display 3–818 hierarchy 3–816 modify (command pane
1610 Index speed 2–229 split amount 2–230 split selected 2–231 split source 2–232 particle view depot 2–121 description panel 2–121 display tools 2–121 event display 2–127 introduction 2–105, 2–121 menu bar 2–122 open 2–132 parameters panel 2–121 particles along a path 2–159 and age 2–142 and binding to space warps 2–117 and deflector space warps 2–208, 2–211 and materials 2–183, 2–185, 2–187 and particle flow 2–106 and stretch 2–118 appearance when selected 2–134 caching 2–193 creating particle systems 2
Index path follow space warp 2–67 path parameters rollout 1–351 pattern background 2–1277 pattern design (cloth) 1–554 PBomb space warp 2–64 PCloud particle system 2–249 PDynaFlect space warp 2–77 pelt map parameters dialog 1–891 per-pixel camera map 2–1542 per-pixel camera projection 2–1542 percent snap 2–37 perform footstep extraction 2–922 performance 3–104, 3–125, 3–1094 and biped’s motion previewing 2–784 and weight painting 1–802 controlling display performance 1–28 improving in NURBS 1–1100 optimizi
1612 Index make edges 1–997 make vertices 1–992 threshold 1–710, 1–984 plane 1–180 plane angle manipulator 2–29 planet map 2–1488 plant 2–791, 2–817, 3–1089 leg state 2–725 plate match 3–37 plate match/MAX R2.
Index Schematic View 3–695 strokes 3–903, 3–908 viewports 3–874 preferences (display) 2–786 premultiplied alpha (glossary) 3–683, 3–1091 preserve map channels dialog 1–1076 preserve modifier 1–757 preset lights 2–1156 preset rendering options 3–23 preset views 1–24 presets 3–23, 3–443 brush 3–737 configure (Video Post) 3–323 rendering 3–23 preview animated material previews 2–1294 make 2–1278 play 2–1278 renderings 3–163 save 2–1278 previewing biped motion 2–784 motion 2–935 Shockwave 3D files 3–633 W3D fi
1614 Index PRS PRS controller (Track View) 2–341 PRS parameters 2–298 PS files 3–661 PSD file (glossary) 3–678 pseudo alpha compositor 3–356, 3–363 filter 3–352, 3–360 pseudo color exposure control 3–296 publish Shockwave 3–628 publishing to 3D DWF 3–556 pull 2–998 pull bias 2–998 pull/pinch/stretch options (tendons) 2–998 push modifier 1–769 space warp 2–55 put material to scene 2–1285 put to library 2–1287, 2–1298 pyramid 1–177 Q QOP files 3–845, 3–848 quad menu Schematic View 3–702 quad menus 1–1084,
Index ray-trace bias (glossary) 3–1094 RAYHOSTS file 3–121, 3–1095 specifying name and path 3–121 raytrace acceleration parameters 2–1372 adaptive antialiaser dialogs 2–1374 attenuation rollout 2–1516 basic material extensions rollout 2–1517 basic parameters rollout 2–1355 dynamics properties rollout 2–1368 extended parameters rollout 2–1360 global settings 2–1369 map 2–1508 map and material 2–1372 maps rollout 2–1364 material 2–1353 messages 2–1369 raytracer controls rollout 2–1362 refractive material ext
1616 Index remove ease or multiplier curve (Track View) 2–561 note track (Track View) 2–531 remove from link 2–941, 2–1001 remove from track set 2–568 remove note track 2–531 rename objects tool 1–123 rename preview 3–165 rename settings preset dialog 3–443 render ActiveShade 3–17, 3–20 blowup 3–13 common parameters rollout 3–27 default scanline 3–37 dialogs 2–1299, 3–2, 3–8, 3–683 presets 3–23 render operator (particle flow) 2–202 render scene 3–2, 3–11 render type list (main toolbar) 3–13 rendered outpu
Index radiosity 3–60 RAM player 3–685 raytrace global exclude 2–1372 raytrace settings 2–1369 render 3–11 render scene 3–11 render to texture 3–151 show last rendering 3–24 video post 3–307 rendering parameters rollout (radiosity) 3–70 rendering properties family elements 3–464 instanced objects 3–463 to 3–464 renderingmenu panoramic exporter 3–166 reparameterize dialog 1–1238 repathing 3–492 repel behavior 2–1070, 3–1097 replace (file menu) 3–476 replace clip 2–611 replace dialogs 2–1300, 3–476 replace ke
1618 Index ripple modifier 1–773 space warp 2–98 RLA files 3–680 RMAT materials in 3ds Max 3–452 roll angle manipulator 2–1179 roll viewport controls camera 3–790 light 3–796 rollout distributed bucket rendering 3–121 twist poses 2–805 rollouts 1–12, 2–470, 2–473 inverse kinematics 2–480 maps 2–1315 materials 2–1311 paint deformation 1–1065 PArray rollouts 2–254, 2–256, 2–258, 2–264 to 2–267, 2–270 root name 2–705, 2–837 rotate 1–420 rotating editable mesh edges 1–997 elbows and knees 2–749 lights 2–1136
Index scene/settings in buffer 1–94 save copy as 3–404 save custom UI scheme 3–850 save file 2–791 save parameters 2–922 save physique file 2–958 save reservoir items dialog 2–627 save segment 2–791 save talent figure structure 2–916 save talent pose adjustment 2–916 saved schematic views 3–702 saving backup on save 3–870 BIP files 2–774, 2–796 biped figure files 2–713 biped step files 2–779 compressed file 3–870 FIG files 2–796 files from previous versions 3–402 material 2–1250 materials 2–1253 physique d
1620 Index script and scripting definitions 3–1102 motion flow 2–878 random motion 2–887, 2–906 script controller (Track View) 2–356 shared motion flow 2–890, 2–907 script rollout (particle flow) 2–135 script wiring 2–130, 2–171 scripted behavior 2–1072, 3–1102 scripting birth operator 2–141 script operator 2–204 script test 2–225 script wiring (particle flow) 2–171, 2–201 scripts 2–882 and controlling particles 2–116 debugging 3–826 define script 2–882 start frame 2–882 start position x 2–882 start posit
Index vertex color 1–992 select by channel modifier 1–775 select by material ID dialog lightscape import 3–614 select delegates dialog 2–1057 select emitter objects dialog 2–147 select keys 2–484 select keys by time 2–511 select menu (particle view) 2–124 select menu (Schematic View) 3–692 select objects dialog 1–78 select objects in current layer 3–716 select region crossing 1–88 lasso 1–82 paint 1–82 window 1–87 window/crossing 1–88 select scale rotate control points 2–965 select time (Track View) 2–543
1622 Index LumeTools 2–1523 mental ray 2–1520 to 2–1522, 2–1533, 3–1103 mental ray (third party) 2–1521 viewport 2–1308 shading and lights 2–1243 shading type 2–1241 to 2–1242 shading, cartoon 2–1414 shadow (center of mass) 2–704, 2–788 shadow maps 2–1208, 3–1104 mental ray 2–1205 shadow parameters (lights) 2–1181 shadow types 2–1175, 3–44 shadows 3–88 shadow maps 3–88, 3–111, 3–1105, 3–1131 shadow modes 3–111 shadows rollout 3–111 shadows and rendering 2–1176 shadows from hair 3–218 shadows map (baking)
Index show buffer 2–916 to show original motion 2–912 trajectory 2–916 show entire trajectory 2–799 show graph motion flow 2–896 show icon control 2–1152 to 2–1153 show markers 2–916, 2–927 show prop markers 2–927 show recognized markers 2–927 show safe frame 3–899 show selected key statistics (Track View) 2–571 show tangents (Track View) 2–559 show time 2–799 show unrecognized markers 2–927 show/hide all 2–799 SHP files 3–534, 3–1106 shrink 1–798 shutter speed 3–100 sibling go forward 2–1291 go to 2–1291
1624 Index snaps 2D/2.
Index spherical area omni light 2–1152 spherical deflector 2–83 spherify modifier 1–819 spin operator (particle flow) 2–150 spindle 1–191 spine flexibility 2–705 spine link 2–837 spinner right-click menu 2–278 spinners 1–12 spinner precision 3–859 spinner snap 2–37, 3–859 spiral stair 1–230 splash screen 1–17 splash.
1626 Index start frame scripts 2–900 transition editor 2–902 start left 2–844, 2–847, 2–849 start position x scripts 2–900 start position y scripts 2–900 start position z scripts 2–900 start right 2–844, 2–847, 2–849 start rotation scripts 2–900 starting manager and server (network rendering) 3–175 network rendering 3–175 startup files 1–17 startup layout - return to 3–851 startup screen 1–17 startup script (glossary) 3–1109 startup.
Index surface approximation (NURBS) 1–1241, 1–1247, 1–1253 surface deform (SurfDeform) 1–537 surface edge curve 1–1178 surface mapper (world space) 1–536 surface modifier 1–602, 1–833 surface offset curve 1–1169 surface parameters (loft objects) 1–349 surface point 1–1223 surface properties rollout (editable objects) 1–303, 1–971, 1–989, 1–992, 1–997, 1–1001 surface sub-objects - creating 1–1179 surface tools 1–602, 1–833 surface trimming 1–1082 surface-curve intersection point 1–1226 surface-surface inter
1628 Index tendons sub-object 2–979 tension, continuity, and bias;TCB.
Index specifying active time segment 2–282 time configuration button 3–768 time ruler (Track View) 2–492 time slider 2–492, 2–533, 3–748 time tags 3–757 to 3–758 time controls 3–759 time frames 2–137 time in the air 2–736 time menu, Track View 2–510 time paste (Track View) 2–545 time reverse (Track View) 2–546 time ruler (Track View) 2–492 time to next footstep 2–844, 2–847, 2–849 time warps 2–597 TimeSensor (VRML97 helpers) 3–653 timing parameters 2–841 tips adjusting radiosity 2–1381 animation and textur
1630 Index snapshot 1–438 spacing tool 1–440 transform type-in 1–412 tooltips 2–129, 3–746 tooltips in viewports preferences 3–859 toon shader 2–1414 top/bottom material 2–1408 topology (glossary) 3–1116 topology dependent modifier 3–1117 torus 1–175 torus knot 1–184 touch 2–791, 2–817, 3–1117 leg state 2–725 touch dynamics 2–736 TouchSensor (VRML97 helpers) 3–652 trace depth 3–104, 3–113, 3–1088 track copying 2–544 glossary 3–1118 note 2–530 to 2–531 track bar 3–750 track selection 2–800 using motion-cap
Index transform type-in 1–404, 1–412, 3–756 transformation axis coordinate system list 1–423 transforms adjusting 2–413 and envelopes 2–938 and light objects 2–1136 and mesh sub-objects 1–988 and modifiers 1–485 animating 1–414 applying 1–401, 1–404 commands 1–419 constraints 1–428 controllers (glossary) 3–1003 curve 1–1159 curve sub-object 1–1159 glossary 3–1120 locking 2–414 locking axes 2–482 managers 1–414 resetting AutoCAD objects 3–448 surface 1–1183 surface sub-object 1–1183 transform tools 1–432 us
1632 Index video post 3–317 viewport transparency 3–990 truck camera 3–791 truck light 3–797 true/false, setting test results (particle view) 2–128 truecolor 3–863, 3–1121 tube 1–174 turbosmooth modifier 1–857 turn to mesh modifier 1–860 turn to patch modifier 1–862 turn to poly modifier 1–863 turning on/off actions, events (particle view) 2–129 particle system 2–132 tutorials 3–974 tweens 2–272 twist 2–805, 2–987 deformation 1–359 modifier 1–865 twist individual mode 2–807 twist links 2–713, 2–837 twist
Index use key reduction 2–922 use large toolbar buttons preference 3–859 use pivot point center 1–426 use pivot points 1–495 use planes (viewport preference) 3–874 use secondary threshold (IK) 3–865 use selection center 1–427 use soft select 2–509 use transform coordinate center 1–427 UseEnvironAlpha setting 3–1028 user grids 2–19, 2–48 user interface cloth modifier 1–562 customizing 3–829 garment maker modifier 1–593 hair growth modifier 1–509 introduction 3–717 menu bar 3–720 problems and recovery 3–987
1634 Index object display culling 1–59 panorama exporter 3–166 polygon counter 1–1254, 3–645 randomize keys (Track View) 2–539 rescale world units 2–49 to 2–50 reset XForm (transform) 1–418 resource collector 3–513 select keys by time (Track View) 2–541 shape check 1–260 skin utilities 2–678 strokes 3–909 surface approximation 1–1247 Track View 2–538 utilities menu, Track View 2–511 utilities panel 3–821 UVW remove utility 2–1252 visual MAXScript 3–826 UV coordinates 2–1249 loft surface 1–1202 sample UV t
Index video color check 2–1278 video driver and display problems 3–990 video post common procedures 3–309 common sequences 3–309 composite image sequences 3–309 composite scene over image sequence 3–309 create animation from still images 3–309 create starfield 3–309 join two animations 3–309 make an object glow 3–309 render in reverse 3–309 resize images 3–309 simple cross fade 3–309 switch views 3–309 troubleshooting 3–317 Video Post 3–307, 3–309 default keyboard shortcuts 3–961 edit current event 3–320 e
1636 Index grids 2–33 redraw all views 1–50 reset background transform 1–45 restore active view 1–37 save active view 1–37 shade selected 1–47 show dependencies 1–47 show ghosting 1–46 show key times 1–46 show transform gizmo 1–45 undo/redo 1–36 update background image 1–44 update during spinner drag 1–51 viewport background 1–38 viewport image 1–44 to 1–45 virtual viewport 3–902 visibility tracks 2–526, 2–533 visible after/before 2–827 visible/invisible 1–997 visual MAXScript utility 3–826 VIZ files link
Index fixed 1–253 pivoted 1–254 projected 1–255 sample preview 2–1264 sliding 1–256 wire editor 2–395 wire parameters 2–393, 2–395 expression techniques 1–141 wireframe color 3–800 wireframes 1–46, 1–52, 3–1128 wiring particle view 2–130 wiring (particle flow) 2–130, 3–1127 wiring tests to events (particle view) 2–127 wood map 2–1494 workbench 2–695, 2–857 analyze panel 2–869 analyzing curves 2–860 animation 2–864 curve view 3–1019 filters panel 2–874 fix panel 2–871 fixing curves 2–861 navigating 2–858 se
1638 Index glossary 3–1131 scenes 3–420 user path configuration 3–857 using XRefs 1–16 XRef merge dialog 3–416 XRef objects 3–405 to 3–406, 3–408, 3–423 XRef scenes 3–405, 3–416 XYZ controllers 2–311 to 2–312, 2–328, 2–340, 2–355 XYZ coordinate shader (mental ray) 2–1541 XYZ generator shader (mental ray) 2–1539 to 2–1540 xyz position 2–809 XYZ to UVW option (UVW map modifier) 1–905 Y YUV file (glossary) 3–685 Z -z command-line option 3–720 z element parameters rollout 3–139 zero all 2–807 zero twist 2–8
