3DS-MAX v6 - T2 - Creating Spaces

3DS-MAX v6 - T2 - Creating Spaces

Learning MAX & VIZ	Stephen Peter, S.Peter@unsw.edu.au
Introduction	Image from model by Sook Hwai LEE.



	The objective of this tutorial is to introduce the major techniques used to create models using 3D Studio MAX.
This diagramatic plan shows the residence you are going to model. The dark line represents the axis - the origin (0,0) is located on the southern side between the kitchen and the living room. The grid shown is a 1x1m grid.
Creating a "Size" Guide
	The first technique used to create models is simply to use 3D objcets (like boxes)...
Note that these dimensions are in MM.	Create a Box 5,000x10,000. Do this by first drawing a box in the Top view, then change the Length to 10,000 and the Width to 5,000. Make the Height -200.
	Click on Zoom Extents All. On my computer the Grid shown in the Top and Perspective viewports has a 1 metre spacing, while the Front and Left viewports have a 100mm Grid.
This assumes the box is selected! Once you've created and relocated the box, you might want hit "Zoom Extents All".	Click Select and Move, then right-click on Select and Move! The Move Transform Type-In Dialog will be displayed. In the Absolute World X, type 2500 and in Y type 5000 (and press Enter); close the dialog box. This will position the centre of the box at that location. Sometimes it is useful to be able to accurately position objects!
This creates a copy of the selected object(s) at their current location; then moves the original beside the copy.	Select Edit - Clone, make sure "Copy" is selected and hit OK. Click and then right-click on Select and Move again, then type -2500 in the (absolute) X, and 1000 in the (absolute) Z (and press Enter); close the dialog box.
Name the objects... You might also want to change the colours...	The left box should be selected. Click on its name in the "Name and Color" area of the Command Panel. Change the name to "Dining Floor". Click on the box on the right and change its name to "LivingRm Floor".
	We now have 2 boxes that will be used as the floor of the split-level space we will create. Click on Zoom Extents All.
Extruding Elevations
	The second technique used to create models is simply to create 2D shapes then convert them into 3D objcets...
If necessary, zoom the view a litle to get MAX to use a 1 metre grid.	Right-Click in the Front view (to make it the "current" view) and then click on "Min/Max Toggle", which will change the display to only show the Front view. Use Pan to drag the view down a bit - so that the two floors are near the bottom of the view.
The image below shows where the Grid setting is located at the bottom of the app.	If your grid is set to a strange value (like 254mm), select Customize - Grid and Snap Settings and the Home Grid tab and set the Grid Spacing (for example to 100mm).

Shapes is beside Geometry, in the Create Command Pannel. When entering the following points, you don't have to be totally precise! You can edit the points' locations afterwards. But, it is really important that you do the next bit (explained in the next paragraph) really carefully!!	You will now draw the space's wall (in elevation)! Click on Shapes and Line, then place a point at the top-right of the Living Floor, then up about 2.5m, then about 2.5 above the top-right of the Dining Floor, then 1m above that point, then 2.5 above the top-left of the Dining Floor, then click on the top-left of the Dining Floor, click on the top-right of the Dining Floor, click on the top-left of the LivingRm Floor, and finally click on the top-right of the LivingRm Floor again and close the Spline.
Bascially, I want you to draw the white shape shown here, after that you'll draw some (window) holes...
	Next, click OFF the "tick" beside "Start New Shape" (above the "Line" button) - this tells MAX that the shapes we are about to create are part of the previous shape! We will now put 2 windows in the wall.
	Click on either the Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse or Star and create 2 "holes" inside the wall shape you have just drawn!
You might also want to deform the window openings...	If necessary, use Edit-Spline (which was explained in the previous tutorial) to "tidy" up the Wall. Both the openings need to be wholly inside the wall shape...
	Once you have edited the shape to your satisfaction, click on Modify (in the Command Panel) and select Extrude from the Modifier List. Set the extrusion amount to 250.

An "instance" clone, is an identical copy. In particular, if either of the clones is altered, the other will mirror the alteration!	Click on Min/Max Toggle to return to the 4 view display. Rotate the Perspective (using Arc Rotate which is next to Min/Max Toggle) view so that you can see the wall and the 2 floor objects. In the Top View, click on the wall and select Edit - Clone, this time use Instance. Then click (and then right-click) on Select and Move. Enter 10250 in the Absolute Y and press Enter; close the dialog box.
	Click on the wall at the "bottom" of the Top View and rename it "South Wall", then rename the other "North Wall".
	You now have the basic "shell" of the space we are going to create.
Revolving Revolting Columns
In this section, you will draw the outline of half a column and then spin it around to make the 3D object, and finally move the column into the space.	The columns are another example of the second technique used to create models (2D shapes converted to 3D objcets). Right-click on the Front view and then click on "Min/Max Toggle" to change to a one viewport display.
The left edge of this spline will be the centre-line of the column.	Select Shapes and the click on "Line". Click the first point at about 0,0 then place a point about 150mm to the right. Working upwards, place a number of points about 150-250mm to the right of the axis, up to the height of the top of the wall. Enter a point at the top of the wall (about 0,4500), and finally click back on 0,0 to close the spline.
Now we will deform the "outer" edge of the column a bit...	Click on Modify in the Command Pannel, then click on vertex to edit the points (also, click on Select and Move if it is not already selected). You can move vertices around (you can delete vertices by selecting them and pressing the Delete key). To make a point a Bezier, right-click on the vertex and select Bezier from the popup menu. Also, make some of the points Bezier-corner. When you make a vertex Bezier or Bezier corner, drag the small green rectangles around...
If you have problems moving the bezier's green rectangles, select "Customize - Show UI - Show Floating Toolbars". Look for the tool bar with "X, Y & Z" etc, the last 'icon' should be "XY"; if it's not move the mouse of the icon and hold the mouse button down, once the sub-menu is displayed select "XY".
The modifier below Lathe is a very interesting one... Latice is used to make solids "holey"... fun!	When you are finished editing the shape, click on Create in the Command Panel then click on Modify again - this makes sure you aren't still editing the shape's vertices. Now we can revolve it (which will change it from a 2D shape into a 3D object)! Select Lathe from the Modifier List (in the Object-Space Modifiers section). Make sure that you set the "Align" to "Min" (see image below), this makes sure that the "minimum" edge is the one that the shape is revolved around.

	The end result of this should be a spectacularly deformed looking column! Once you are happy with the column, hit the "Min/Max Toggle" to return to the 4 viewport display. You should see your column buried in the south wall. Right-click on Select and Move and change the Absolute Y to 3333 - this will move it one third of the way into the space - then close the dialog box. Finally, change the name of the object to Column1.
	Select Edit - Clone (instance) to copy the column, and then right-click on Select and Move and change the Absolute Y to 6666, then if necessary, change the name of the object to Column2. We should now have 2 columns in the middle of the space.
Cutting our way through Adversity
	The third technique used to create models is generally called Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG), in 3D Studio MAX though, it is called "Boolean". Basically, it involves combining, subtracting or intersecting existing objects to create new objects.
In this section you will cut a hole in the dining floor. The box dimensions (in the top view) are: Length 1000, Width 1500, Height 1500.	Select Box (from the Create (Geometry) Command Panel) and draw a box in-between the 2 columns. The box should be approx 1500 x 1000 x 1500 (X,Y,Z). Create the box and then use Modify to correct the box's dimensions. This box will be used to cut the hole for the stairs.
This can be done by "Absolute positioning" the box (centre) to -650,5000,0.	Position the box so that it will cut a hole about 1400mm into the floor!!
The Boolean command is used to (amongst other things) cut holes in Objects.	Once the box is positioned to you satisfaction, select the Dining Floor. Change the drop-down list near the top of the Create Command Panel from Standard Primitives to Compound Objects, then select "Boolean". Make sure that the Operation selected is "Subtraction (A-B)", then click on the "Pick Operand B" button and pick the box you've just created.

	If that worked OK, then you should now see that there is a hole in the floor!!!
Ascending to a higher plane
In this section we will create the stairs. Note that - when Select and Move is active - you can position the box using the coordinates listed at the bottom of the application.	Create a box - Length 1500, Width 300, Height 250, and then move it to -1300,5000,583. This will position the box as the first step. I suggest you create the box in the Top view.
This image shows the first step in the Top and Front views.
Array... The Array should result in a total of 5 "step" objects being created. Note that this leaves a small gap at the bottom of the steps - we will fix that soon!	Having located the first step, you will now use "Array" to place (instance) copies of each of the other steps. Make the Front view the current viewport and hit the Min/Max Toggle (and maybe zoom-in on the steps). With the first step selected (this is the box you've just created), select Tools - Array... this can be an intimidating Dialog at first, but it's actually quite simple! Firstly note that the Array Transformation uses the "Screen Coordinates". This means that, in the Front view, X is the "normal" (absolute) X axis, but Y is the "normal" (absolute) Z axis. Our steps will be 250 wide and 167 high, so enter 250 in the (top) X and -167 in the Y - this ensures that each new step moves that distance. Finally, set the "1D count" to 5, and hit OK.


You can either pick on the 5 steps on use "Select by Name" and choose box01 to box05.	Select the 5 steps and then choose Group - Group, name the Group "Steps".
Filling the Gaps
Change the floor's centre by right clicking on Select and Move. Change the width from the Modify section of the Command Panel.	Select the LivingRm Floor and move its centre from (2500,5000,0) to (2400,5000,0), and increase the object's width from 5000 to 5200. This should fill the little gap between the last step and the floor. Hit the Min/Max Toggle to return to the 4 viewport display.
	The next gap we want to fill is the big hole between the two floor objects.
You can select 2 objects by using Ctrl-click to select the second! Hiding things . . .	Select the two columns and then change the Command Panel to Display (this is the icon that looks like a monitor). Hit the "Hide Selected" button to hide these objects. This is a very useful technique, firstly to speed up drawing and secondly to temporarily remove things that are in the way.
MAX's perspective view sometimes gets it wrong!	By the way, if your Perspective view is showing strange things, don't worry about it! If you are especially worried, render the perspective view and you will see everything is fine. The perspective is meant to be a "quick and dirty" preview. It is most useful as a way to confirm the location of objects...
Position the box so its bottom - right corner (in the Top view) lines up with the edge of the stair hole (not the stairs) - see the arrow on the diagram!	In the Top View, create a Box about (L)4600, (W)2000, (H)800 and position it to cover the gap on the "north" side of the stairs. You should be able to do this "by eye" - simply zoom-in - make sure you do this in the Top View.
	Copy the box you've just placed (use Edit - Clone (copy)), and change the Height to 2000, then position it to cover the gap on the other side of the stairs, but this time position the box so it protrudes a small amount into the living room (to the right)!
	Once again, if you see strange things in the Perspective view - don't worry - ignore them or render the view to check.

In the next step we will use this new box to turn the "south-side" gap filler into a L shape. This will be the 'wall' around the kitchen bench...	With the second box (the one on the 'south' side) selected (in the Top view); do a Edit - Clone (copy); then right-click on Select and Move, under the Offset Screen put (X) -100 and (Y) -100. This should result in the copy being offset (in the Top view) "down" and to the "left."
	In the Create command panel, change Standard Primitives to Compound Objects and choose Boolean. This time change the Operation to Subtraction (B-A), hit Pick Operand B and choose the 'original' south-side-gap-filler box (the one that you didn't offset).
Vestigial Bedrooms
	Before creating the Kitchen, we will create two large boxs to be the back walls of our space.
	Firstly, we will create the "back" wall - use the Top View! Create a box to the left of the "southern" portion of the upper floor. The box I created was (L)4200, (W)4000, (H)4500, centred at (absolute) -7000,2100,0. Call the box Bedroom01.
	Once you have created the box, use Tools - Mirror to create an Instance (copy) of the box. Set the Mirror Axis to "Y", Offset to "5800", and Clone Selection to "Instance". This box should be named Bedroom02.
Cooking up a Kitchen
	The Kitchen is to be located on the upper level on the "south" side. We won't model it in great detail, but it should be enough give someone the idea!
Creating Cupboards...	Create a box to the right of the Bedroom01 box - this will be the full height cupboards along that wall. I made my box 3500x800x3000. once you have created the box, rename it Cupboards and move it up 1000 (because the kitchen is on the "upper" level).

Kitchen Benches...	Use the Line shape to draw the Kitchen's benches (refer to the figure above). The benches don't have to be exactly as shown! Once you've created the (closed) Line, extrude it 50, and then move it up 1800 (so it is 800 above the kitchen floor).
You might also want to create boxes under the bench (for cupboards) and doors for the cupboards... When the builders see those columns, they are going to have a fit! J If you haven't made your columns visible again yet, click on the Display tab of the command panel and select Unhide All.
	Finally, to recap what you've learned in this tutorial. You've used the following "techniques" to make objects: Standard Primitives boxes used to create the floor and the cupboards. 2D Shapes to create outlines (like the walls and the columns) which were then converted to 3D (we used Extrude and Lathe)... Boolean using (simple) objects to "cut" other objects to create more complex shapes (the hole for the stairs and the kitchen wall). Clone / Array / Mirror 'editing' commands were also used to duplicate objects. The tutorial also introduced a number of other editing techniques such as absolute positionng (right-clicking on Select and Move).
	That's all for this tutorial. We will continue modelling the space in the next tutorial!


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