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544 Chapter 20: Managing Scenes and Projects
Inter face
Derive Objects By group
Layer—Names each 3ds Max object based on the
object layers spec ified in the drawing file. The
layer name is followed by a number for each object
fromthatlayer.Forexample,anobjectonthelayer
BASE becomes BASE.01. If Conver t To Single
Objects is turned on, objects on the same layer
become a single 3ds Max object.
Co lor—Derives the name of each 3ds Max object
based on the object’s layer color in the d rawing.
TheAutoCADcolornumberisfollowedbya
number for each object using that layer color. For
example, objects on a layer that is set to the color
red (Color number 001) become COLOR001.01.
Colors assigned by object are ignored in favor
of colors assigned by layer. If Convert To Single
Objectsisturnedon,objectsassignedthesame
layer color become a single 3ds Max object.
Entity—Names each 3ds Max object based on the
object type. The object type name is followed by a
number for each object converted. For example,
a Line object becomes Line.01. Drawings can
contain thousands of entities, so deriving objects
by entity can create many 3ds Maxobjects.
General Options group
Conver t to Singl e Obj ects—Combines multiple
objectsinthedrawingfileintoasingle3dsMax
object. Objects are combined according to the
current Derive Objects By setting and their
3ds Max object type. Explicit mesh objects are
combined. Shapes with no Z axis extrusion are
combined, as are shapes with the same Z axis
extrusion amount. Shapes w ith differing amounts
of Z axis extrusion are assigned an Extrude
modifier and are not combined.
Convert Blocks to Group s—Places all objects in a
block entity into a 3ds Max group that uses the
name of the block entit y and the number .01. For
example, a block entity named CHAIR becomes
a collection of 3ds Max objects inside a group
named [CHAIR.01].
Multiple insertions of the block entity are
converted to instances of the 3ds M ax group. For
example, a second insertion of the block, CHAIR,
becomes an instance of [CHAIR.01] named
[CHAIR.02].
WhenConvertBlocksToGroupsisturnedoff,
block definitions are ignored and block insertions
are treated as separate objects, similar to exploding
blocks in AutoCAD .
Sk ip Off and Frozen Layers—Excludes the import of
objectsonlayersthatarehiddenorfrozen.
Skip Ha tches and Points—Excludes the import of
hatch patterns and point objects.
Hatch patterns are made of many short line
segments and p oints. Importing all the objects in
hatch patterns can ov erload your 3ds Max scene.